A human rights lawyer, Morakinyo Ogele has disclosed that with the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu can govern the state from any part of Nigeria.
According to the legal practitioner, the hue and cry over the whereabouts of the Governor was not necessary, particularly as there has not been any glitch in the governance of the state.
While stressing that the constitution did not stipulate that a governor must be resident in the state he was elected to govern, Ogele who spoke with newsmen in Akure, the State capital, maintained that Akeredolu has not been lagging in his roles as governor.
Recall that there has been uproar in some quarters over the absence of the governor in the state, five weeks after he returned from medical vacation in Germany.
The lawyer who further stressed that anyone is susceptible to sickness, emphasised that Akeredolu should be commended for the many life impacting programmes initiated across the State.
“There are lots of lacuna in our constitution. The constitution has not indicted any governor who is not within his state to perform his constitutional roles. That is why we need to amend our constitution.
“The constitution has failed to address the question of whether a governor can operate from outside the state. There is nowhere in the constitution that the governor can only operate in Ondo State.
“Politicians read meaning into everything. They are preparing for another election, hence the present scenario in the state.
“As far as I’m concerned, Akeredolu has exposed this State to development. When you see all the roads constructed by his administration you will commend him for a job well done.
“As we speak, construction of the first flyover in the State capital is ongoing. Don’t forget he constructed one in Ore during his first term. This is unprecedented in the State.”
