Six months into his tenure, Ondo State Deputy Governor Chief Olayide Owolabi Adelami remains locked out of his official residence, forcing him to stay in hotels across Akure at enormous expense to the state government.
According to government insiders speaking to SaharaReporters, the accommodation crisis stems from deep-seated political mistrust within the administration, despite public displays of unity between Adelami and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Sources revealed that while both the official deputy governor’s lodge and a renovated VIP lodge at Government House remain available, Adelami has been deliberately prevented from accessing either facility due to fears of potential power struggles within the administration.
“There is a deputy governor’s lodge, but they didn’t let him move in because they don’t want a power struggle,” one insider explained. “There’s even a VIP lodge in Government House that was renovated, but he was also barred from using it.”
The accommodation impasse has resulted in staggering costs for taxpayers, with Adelami reportedly staying in at least four different hotels in the Ijapo and Alagbaka areas of Akure since taking office in February 2024. By February 2025, official records indicate that accommodation expenses for the deputy governor had exceeded ₦130 million, excluding additional costs for his security detail and aides.
The deputy governor’s current predicament carries bitter historical irony, as it mirrors the treatment Governor Aiyedatiwa himself received under his predecessor, the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. During a 2023 political crisis, Akeredolu systematically sidelined Aiyedatiwa, even supporting impeachment proceedings against him until President Bola Tinubu’s intervention resolved the conflict.
Adelami, a former Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly and erstwhile APC governorship aspirant, was nominated as deputy governor on January 24, 2024, just hours after Aiyedatiwa dissolved the state’s Executive Council. The House of Assembly confirmed his appointment the same day, and he was sworn in on February 1, 2024.
During the inauguration ceremony, Governor Aiyedatiwa publicly praised Adelami’s “integrity and experience” while urging transparency in governance. Adelami reciprocated with pledges of loyalty to the administration.
However, sources within the government suggest that internal power dynamics have created tension, particularly regarding the influence of Commissioner for Finance Mrs. Omowunmi Isaac, whom insiders describe as having disproportionate sway over gubernatorial decisions.
“The governor only listens to the Commissioner of Finance,” one government source alleged, pointing to Isaac’s controversial profile within the administration.
Isaac has faced significant public scrutiny throughout her tenure, including opposition calls for her removal over alleged budget padding and questionable financial allocations. The Peoples Democratic Party specifically criticized the ₦11.5 billion security vote in the 2025 Appropriation Act, ₦250 million allocated for “honorariums and sitting allowances,” and ₦230 million earmarked for a Toyota Prado SUV for her office.
Earlier this year, Isaac drew additional controversy when a viral video showed her spraying ₦500 notes at a public event, violating Central Bank of Nigeria currency abuse regulations. Despite high-profile prosecutions for similar offenses, including the imprisonment of socialite Idris “Bobrisky” Okuneye, no action has been taken against the finance commissioner.
The Aiyedatiwa-Adelami partnership recently received judicial validation when the Court of Appeal dismissed challenges from four opposition parties over alleged electoral malpractice during the November 2024 polls, affirming their electoral victory.
However, the accommodation standoff suggests deeper structural problems within an administration that publicly projects unity while privately wrestling with trust deficits and power distribution concerns.
As of press time, the Ondo State Government had not issued any official statement addressing the deputy governor’s accommodation situation or the broader controversies surrounding the finance ministry’s operations.
