The wife of the late former governor of Ondo State, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has described as fraudulent, plans by the Ondo State government to organise a memorial lecture in honour of her husband, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
The former Ondo First Lady in a statement tagged, “Re: Purported Aketi lecture by Ondo State government”, posted on her verified X account, formerly known as Twitter, described the proposed memorial lecture as a “yahoo #419 lecture.
She accused the Ondo State government of using her husband’s name for personal gain.
She emphasized that the state government did not carry the family along for the lecture.
According to her, neither she nor her family was informed about it. “Lucky can’t be serious! Which legacy? My foot! This is not for Aketi because I and my family are not aware. Damn it!” she wrote.
She said the memorial lecture was an insidious propaganda, saying “you and your co-travellers cannot shave Aketi’s head in his absence. You cannot weep more than the bereaved”.
“Now you want to pretend by organising one yeye lecture for Aketi’s memorial as an entry point to chop money on Aketi’s head. You are on your own!” she declared.
Mrs. Anyanwu-Akeredolu alleged that the plan was an attempt to undermine her husband’s legacy.
“Lucky, you are preoccupied with rubbishing Aketi’s legacy; you can’t succeed, anyway.
Anybody close to Aketi and Arabinrin becomes your enemy. Your minions are scared to get close otherwise they lose their appointments,” she alleged.
Meanwhile, the State government is insisting that the lecture will hold as scheduled despite opposition by the late former governor’s wife.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan posted on his Facebook handle, “Please, join us on Friday as we honour our former governor”.
Adeniyan also posted the flier of the event.
Jingle of the lecture has been aired on broadcast media and circulated on social media platforms.
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu died on December 27, 2023 after an unsuccessful battle with illness. Immediately after his death, his estranged deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa was sworn.
