Aiyedatiwa Takes Oath as Ondo Governor

Following the passing of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in December 2023, Lucky Aiyedatiwa was sworn in as the governor of Ondo State, beginning his first full four-year tenure.

Shortly after his running partner Olayide Adelami, Aiyedatiwa took the oath of office as the seventh governor of Ondo State.

The governor thereafter rode in an open van around the complex, waving to cheers from supporters.

Road to Govt House

Aiyedatiwa had to defeat Agboola Ajayi, a former deputy governor of the state, who ran against him on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, to get here.

Aiyedatiwa’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure, was extended when he was declared winner of the November 16, 2024 governorship election by the Returning Officer, Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State.

With 366,781 votes, the APC candidate defeated his nearest opponent, Ajayi, who received 117,845 votes—more than twice as many as Aiyedatiwa.

The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.

After Governor Rotimi Akeredolu passed away on December 27, 2023, Aiyedatiwa, a former deputy governor, took over as governor.

Akeredolu died after a lengthy battle with illness and had before his demise transmitted power to Aiyedatiwa.

He, thereafter, won the APC’s ticket for the 2024 governorship election in Ondo, pitting him against 17 other candidates including Ajayi who was also a former deputy to Akeredolu during his first term in office.

Aiyedatiwa’s profile

According to details on the state government website, he was born on January 12, 1965, in Obe-Nla, an oil-producing community in the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. Aiyedatiwa’s education began at Saint Peter’s Primary School in Obe-Nla, and he completed his secondary education at Ikosi High School, Ketu, Lagos, in 1982.

He holds a Nigeria Certificate in Education in Economics and Government from Lagos State College of Education (now Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education), obtained 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 entering politics, Aiyedatiwa had a diverse career spanning education, pharmaceuticals, finance, and general merchandise. In 1996, he founded the Blue Wall Group of Companies, which had interests in trading, foreign exchange, and travel logistics.

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His political career began in 2011 with the Action Congress of Nigeria, which later merged into the APC. He served as a Federal Commissioner representing Ondo State on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission from 2018 to 2019.

In 2020, he was elected as Deputy Governor alongside Governor Akeredolu and assumed office as governor following Akeredolu’s passing.

Meanwhile, Akeredolu died on December 27, 2023, at the age of 67, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer. His death led to Aiyedatiwa’s succession as governor.

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