Blackmailers after me - Governor Aiyedatiwa

"It is important to alert members of the public to this plot which is aimed at discrediting Mr Governor ahead of the coming governorship election in the State."

The Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has cried out that some blackmailers are after him.

Mr Aiyedatiwa became the governor following the death of late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu on 27th December 2023 at a German hospital after a protracted battle with prostate cancer.

In a statement on Monday by his chief press secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, Mr Aiyedatiwa said that after failing woefully with their attempts to paint him in bad light with the stories around the death of the former governor, Akeredolu, these desperate elements have resorted to blackmail.

The statement said the desperate elements have resorted to using faceless groups and individuals to make allegations of certificate forgery against the Governor.

According to the statement, a governorship aspirant, whose name was not mentioned, last night, held a meeting with some individuals at a popular hotel in Akure, the state capital, where he gave the directive to those present to write stories alleging that Mr Aiyedatiwa used forged certificates to contest the election.

"It is important to alert members of the public to this plot which is aimed at discrediting Mr Governor ahead of the coming governorship election in the State.

"Mr Governor contested in a joint ticket with his former principal in the 2020 governorship election and his credentials were duly submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and those are in the public domain," a part of the statement read.

The statement further said that any attempt to raise allegations around the credentials of the Governor is nothing but a plot out of the playbook of those who failed in their efforts to impeach him when he was deputy governor.

"Mr Governor remains committed to delivering on his promises to develop Ondo State and will not be distracted by the shenanigans of shameless politicians and their cronies," the statement said.