Aiyedatiwa Officially Becomes Ondo’s 7th Governor!
Lucky Aiyedatiwa has now taken the oath of office to become the seventh governor of Ondo State.
The ceremony took place at the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure, the state capital, on Monday, about two months after Aiyedatiwa’s victory at the governorship poll on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.
Aiyedatiwa immediately took the oath for his office as the seventh governor of Ondo State after his running mate had done so first. Family members of the governor and the deputy governor were sighted at the swearing-in ceremony.
The occasion was also attended by the National Chairman of the APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje; Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji; ex-governors of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, Chief Olusegun Osoba; ex-governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; and Minister for Youth Development, Hon. Ayodele Olawande.
The ceremony also had some present and past members of the National Assembly; state party chairman Engr. Ade Adetimehin and other former members of the state executive council
Some current and past members members of the National Assembly and other dignitaries were there as well.
He emerged as the seventh governor of the state against a fierce contest from another former deputy governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi, who contested against him on the platform of the PDP.
Aiyedatiwa’s extended period in the Government House at Alagbaka, Akure, continues as he was declared winner of the gubernatorial election of November 16, 2024, by Returning Officer Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State.
The APC candidate scored 366,781 votes, defeating his nearest challenger Ajayi, who cleared 117,845 votes, by a margin of over two times less than Aiyedatiwa.
From the final results, the APC had a landslide victory, clearing all eighteen local government areas in the election.
Akeredolu had succumbed to a long illness and before his death, had transited power to Aiyedatiwa.
Afterward, he became the APC flagbearer in the race for the 2024 governorship election in Ondo, contesting with 17 other aspirants including Ajayi-Shuaib who was also a deputy under Akeredolu in his first term of office.
What you must know about Aiyedatiwa
He was born on January 12, 1965, in Obe-Nla, which is an oil-producing community within the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, according to the state government’s website. His education started at Saint Peter’s Primary School in Obe-Nla and was completed at Ikosi High School in Ketu, Lagos, in 1982.
He has a Nigeria Certificate in Education on Economics and Government from Lagos State College of Education (now Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education), awarded in 1986.
Furthering his education, he earned an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Ibadan in 2001, a Postgraduate Certificate in Chief Executive Education from Lagos Business School in 2009, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Liverpool in 2013.
Before joining politics, Aiyedatiwa had very extensive careers spanning education, pharmaceuticals, finance, and general merchandise. In 1996, he set up the Blue Wall Group of Companies with interests in trading; foreign exchanges; and travel logistics.
His political career started with the Action Congress of Nigeria. In 2011, that political party decided to merge into the APC. He was appointed as the Federal Commissioner in a board that represents his home state, Ondo State, in the Niger Delta Development Commission, from 2018 to 2019.
In 2020, he became Deputy Governor alongside Governor Akeredolu and immediately ascended the position of governor after Akeredolu’s death.
Meanwhile, Akeredolu died on December 27, 2023, at the age of 67, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. His death led into Aiyedatiwa as successor governor.
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