25th April, 2020
By Jethro Ibileke
News of the resignation of the Chief of Staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, Francis Taiwo Akerele, pervaded the social media in the evening of Friday, 24 April, and till now, is still competing with news of coronavirus disease, to gain the most read news item position in the state.
True to the literal meaning of his name (small but mighty, in Yoruba), diminutive Akerele holds a powerful position in Obaseki’s kitchen cabinet, and he could be called a ‘double Chief’, as he holds a traditional chieftaincy title in his Igarra hometown. He called the shots at the state government house.
Akerele who has been through the thick and thin, and has weathered the storm of the rough ocean of Edo politics with Obaseki, has been his right-hand man during their working relationship that has spanned over 12 years.
Following the appointment of Obaseki as head of the economic team of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s administration, Akerele started the team from Lagos Business School. Obaseki later appointed him Chief of Staff on November 14, 2016.
It was rumoured that he dumped his Principal, along with a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly and an appointee of Obaseki, Alhaji Kabiru Ajoto, who also hails from Akok-Edo local government area of the state and has also been at the forefront of the internal wranglings of Edo APC, on Obaseki’s side.
All these put together, one wonders why Akerele will now decide to dump Obaseki, whom he had vowed to either swim or sink with.
It is however pertinent to say that all the hullabaloo of Akerele’s resignation still remains a speculation.
The poorly written resignation letter dated 25 April, 2020, purportedly by Akerele, gives further reasons to doubt if he actually wrote the letter. It reads:
“Dear sir,
“My decision to exit the government is based on administrative and governance grounds.
“I am solidly with His Excellency, Mr Godwin Obaseki in his quest to transform Edo state. His mission and vision resonates with mine.
“This is all I have to say, I will like to be given opportunity to go private as I part ways administratively with the government based on principles.
“I thank His Excellency for the opportunity given to me to serve in this capacity and also thanks to His Royal Majesty, Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, for his immense leadership and support during the period I served in this capacity. May his reign be long and peaceful. Amen!”
Furthermore, it would be expected that Akerele’s resignation letter should have been written on his official letterhead, addressed and delivered to the office of the Edo State Governor.
A statement issued on Saturday from the office of the Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, titled: “Obaseki yet to get official communication of CoS resignation”, indicated that the governor was yet to receive Akerele’s resignation letter.
The statement said:
“In the past few hours, it emerged on social media that the Chief of Staff, Mr. Taiwo Akerele, has resigned his appointment with the Edo State Government.
“While the governor has not received any formal communication to this effect, he believes that this is a personal decision of Mr. Akerele.
“However, whenever the resignation letter gets to the governor, he would accept it, and he wishes Akerele all the best in his future endeavours.”
The resignation saga has continued to generate divergent comments and opinions, with some respondents saying that Akerele’s resignation is to punish Obaseki, while others think it is nothing short of a political gimmick.
One commentator said: “If Akerele quits, I will not be surprised. He has long been trying to run a parallel government in government house. When, he formally submits his resignation letter, I will tell a true story involving my encounter with him wherein he sought to undermine the authority of the Governor. When he reads the story, he will learn to be careful about the pregnancy in tomorrow’s womb.”
Another school of thought said that if it is true that Akerele and ‘others’ have resigned from Obaseki’s kitchen cabinet, they have a mission: to decamp to another political party, where they could seek alternative platform for their Principal, in view of the clash of the titans that await them for the governorship ticket of the APC.
Rumour mills had been rife with reports that Obaseki might finally embark on a political sojourn to another political party to seek a re-election, should his foes in the APC successfully outwit him in the battle for the governorship ticket of the party. And the likely landing option is the Action Alliance party.
Whether Akerele has resigned as Obaseki’s Chief of Staff and for whatever reason or motive, let’s keep our fingers crossed, time shall tell, and it is not far away.