Ondo State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has faulted claim by a senior lawyer, Kayode Ajulo, SAN, that his signature was being forged by his aides to carry out government business.
Akeredolu, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, described the claim as “utterly preposterous and ludicrous, stemming solely from the figment of an imagination,” because only him could allege forgery of his signature.
At the same time, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, yesterday, alleged that curious and inexplicable expenditure had been the order of the day in the state, amidst the absence of Akeredolu since his return on September 7, after a three-month medical vacation in Germany.
Ajulo had during a live interview on Arise Television on Monday, alleged that some officials of the state were signing documents in the name of the ailing governor, adding that the deputy governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, could not take over from Akeredolu because power has not been transferred to him constitutionally.
He contended that the development had paved the way for a cabal to hijack governance in the state.
Reacting, Akeredolu specifically said, “This accusation of forging Mr. Governor’s signature is utterly preposterous and ludicrous, stemming solely from the figment of their imagination. I want to assure you that no one is forging Mr. Governor’s signature. The circulated content on social media, which some people are relying on as evidence, is laughable.
“If they genuinely believe there is a disparity, they should present a legitimate document to support their claims. We are more than willing to thoroughly investigate the matter and prosecute anyone found culpable.
“The main issue here is that we cannot entertain baseless speculations and unfounded claims. A group of individuals somewhere has assembled two signatures, yet, they cannot even determine which one belongs to the governor.
“They refuse to disclose the documents that were allegedly signed or provide any information regarding the dates. The individuals behind these fabricated signatures are the real culprits engaging in criminal activities.”
He noted that it was disheartening to see a legal practitioner making such statements on national television, saying only Akeredolu could claim that his signature had been forged.
“It is disheartening to see a supposed legal practitioner making such statements on national television. How did they arrive after the forgery? Where is the document that supposedly contained the forged signature?
“Why are they not revealing the beneficiary of this document? By concealing such a document and engaging in unnecessary media theatrics, they are doing a great disservice to the state and the people.
“The truth of the matter is that only Governor Akeredolu can claim that his signature has been forged. I have personally spoken to the governor, and he has asked me to emphatically refute this claim. The signature of Mr. Governor is not forged. Please disregard these crisis entrepreneurs. Their real gains are in crisis, not peace.”
Meanwhile, the PDP has alleged that the state was currently and needlessly beleaguered through a criminal interplay of selfish determinism by cliques within government circles, and the governor’s family overbearing interplay in government business is becoming unbearable.
The party, therefore, demanded a balance sheet on the finances of sunshine State, alleging that not once has any financial update been given to the citizenry since the emergence of Akeredolu in 2017.
The state Chairman of PDP, Mr Fatai Adams, who stated these at a press conference, held at the party secretariat in Akure, the state capital, emphasised that in a short while, the party would prepare and release to the public a compendium of illegal and illicit actions taken by functionaries of government, to compromise the state financial health, assets requisitioned illegally and sundry unpatriotic actions geared towards compromising the wellness of the future the state.
“We feel duty bound to say that the resources and finances of Ondo State is our commonwealth, therefore concerned and totally interested in its management. For the past years that Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has been Governor, not once has any financial update been given to the citizenry.
“Curious and inexplicable expenditure has been the order of the day, therefore we demand a balance sheet on the finances of our state. This, we do because when our party was in government, due regards was given to giving an account update every month, or at the end of every financial year by the Agagu and Mimiko administrations.”
