The Ondo State Government has debunked a report by an online News platform (Not Roving Reporters) over allegations that the state Deputy Governor Dr Olayide Adelami has been locked out of his official residence, forcing him to stay in hotels since assuming office in February 2024.
In a recent report, Sahara Reporters claimed Adelami has lodged in no fewer than four “ramshackle” hotels in the Ijapo and Alagbaka areas of Akure over the past year, with the state allegedly spending more than ₦130 million on his accommodation and that of his aides.
Citing unnamed government sources, the platform alleged the decision to keep Adelami out of the deputy governor’s lodge and a renovated VIP lodge within Government House was driven by fears of a potential power struggle between him and Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa.
However, in a swift rebuttal, the deputy governor’s press secretary, John Akinduro, dismissed the publication as “blatant falsehood” and accused Sahara Reporters of “yellow journalism and crass reportage.”
“For the sake of well-meaning residents and lovers of Ondo State, Dr Adelami and his boss share an abiding bond and mutual respect,” Akinduro stated.
“These lies only exist in the imagination of anti-democratic elements.”
He explained that upon assuming office, Governor Aiyedatiwa ordered renovation works on the deputy governor’s lodge, which, according to him, is now ready for use.
He insisted Adelami “speaks glowingly” of the governor’s “unwavering commitment to democratic ideals” in both public and private conversations.
The statement urged political actors and commentators to “eschew bitterness and join hands with the forward-thinking government of His Excellency Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, a man helped by God to actualize the Ondo State of our dreams.”
