The Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has addressed questions surrounding his decision not to present his Certificate of Return to Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following his reelection victory.
The governor clarified that his actions were not meant to show any form of disrespect.
Aiyedatiwa secured his reelection in the governorship race held last Saturday and received his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday at its headquarters in Abuja.
Afterward, he led a delegation of APC leaders from Ondo State to meet with the National Working Committee (NWC) at the party’s secretariat, where they were warmly welcomed.
However, protocol typically involves presenting the certificate to the party chairman during such visits. Both Aiyedatiwa and his deputy, Adelami Olaide, chose not to follow this tradition, sparking curiosity and debate.
Addressing the issue, Aiyedatiwa told Saturday PUNCH that his decision stemmed from a desire to first present the certificate to President Bola Tinubu, whom he regards as the party’s leader.
He said, “I am supposed to first of all present the certificate to Mr President, the leader of this party. But he is not in town. That is why I cannot present the certificate to Mr Chairman first. So, it is not a case of being disrespectful.
“I just believe that is the right thing to do by presenting it to Mr President first of all before coming here. But since I am in Abuja, I had to come. I recognise the leadership that Ganduje has provided for this party at the national and even the state level. Since he took over as the chairman of this party, we have not lost any election.”
