Akeredolu Using Tax Payers’ Money to Sponsor Wife’s Senatorial Ambition, Alleges Ondo PDP

The Ondo State Chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday accused the State Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), of sponsoring the senatorial ambition of his wife, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, tax payers money.

Recall that Betty officially declared her interest to represent Imo East Senatorial District (Owerri zone) in the Senate in 2023 on April 8, 2022.

The wife of the governor, who is fondly called ‘Ada Owerri’, which is her traditional chieftaincy title, said her aspiration to represent his pre-marital zone in the Senate was gingered by the need to address the gross under-development and infrastructural deficit in her maiden home of Emeabiam in Owerri West Local Government and the other eight local governments that made up the zone.

However, in a statement made available to journalists in Akure by the Ondo State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kennedy Peretei, the party satirically said Betty ranked amongst the wives in the corridor of power who know exactly what to do with the enormous influence and lush funds available to their husbands.

Peretei said that Akeredolu would be unable to do anything in the Imo contest apart from squandering Ondo’s lean resources to service some politicians in Imo State who would never tell ‘Ada Owerri’ the truth.

He said: “Mrs Akeredolu has also demonstrated that, she is one rank ahead of her husband. As a matter of fact, she does not mince words by saying she is three years older than her husband, who is the governor of Ondo
State.

“Few questions immediately come to mind. Was Betty trying to brag about her status of being a governor’s wife or trying to reconnect with her roots as being part of the Emeabiam community? Has she ever been involved in development activities or politics of Imo State before her husband became governor? How many of such NDDC Projects has she influenced to Ondo State?

“In 2012, when Rotimi Akeredolu first contested the governorship elections in Ondo State, his biggest challenge was that he never registered as a voter in the state. It took some re-engineering from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to relocate him and the wife, from where they registered in Oyo State, to Owo Local Government, where they now vote. If Betty is to contest elections in Imo State, this ritual has to be repeated if not perfected already.”

He noted that Betty’s senatorial aspiration has been clinically conceptualised immediately after Akeredolu was sworn in as governor, alleging that some of the Free School Shuttle Buses bought by the immediate past Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, for easy movement of school children were sighted in Owerri.

“Of the over 95 buses, not more than 20 are parked at the premises of the Ministry of Works at various levels of decay. The Ondo State government has not told the people the where about of the remaining buses. If the government says it has no money to run the buses, one will expect to see the buses on ground. The missing buses may have been used to oil the ‘back to my roots’ project.

“On Friday, December 29, 2017, the Ondo State Government literally shut down and moved to Emeabiam in honour of Betty for the title ‘Ada Emeabiam ll.’ The governor himself led the delegation. Then, on 14th August, 2021, all the monarchs in Owerri Federal Constituency, covering about 150 autonomous communities conferred on Mrs. Akeredolu the title ‘Ada Owere’ meaning the ‘first’ daughter of Owerri. Betty is the first recipient of this title.

“Again, on Sunday, December26, 2021, the same woman was honoured with the title Nwanyiwuihe (Woman is Valued) by the Ihiagwa Town Management Committee during the 2021 Ihiagwa Clan Day celebration in Owerri West Local Government.”

Specifically, the party noted that there is none of these ceremonies that did not cost Ondo State tax payers’ huge resources that could be channeled to the welfare of the people and the betterment of the state.
“If you have received any such traditional title in Nigeria before, you will appreciate what is at stake here.

Political appointees and traditional rulers all struggle to be seen during these ceremonies, taking selfies and smiling reminiscent of what legendary Afro beat King Fela referred to as suffering and smiling,” PDP said.