Who is Lucky Aiyedatiwa? 10 Things to Know About new Ondo Governor

After several months of fighting political battles and an impeachment plot, Lucky Aiyedatiwa was on Wednesday sworn in as the new Governor of Ondo State.

The inauguration of Aiyedatiwa followed the death of his former boss and predecessor, Rotimi Akeredolu who died in the early hours of Wednesday.

Although he is now Governor of Ondo state, Aiyedatiwa remains relatively unknown to most Nigerians.

Here are some key things to know about the new Chief Executive of the Sunshine State:

1. Lucky Aiyedatiwa was born on 12 January 1965 at Obe-Nla, an oil-producing community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
2. He obtained a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) in Economics and Government in 1986 from the Lagos State College of Education, Ijanikin, Lagos.
3. He later attended the University of Ibadan for an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration in 2001.
4. He also obtained Post Graduate Certification in Chief Executive Education in Business Management in 2009 and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom, in 2013.
5. He joined active politics in 2011 as a card-carrying member of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which later merged with other political parties and became the All Progressive Congress (APC).
6. He contested but lost the House of Representatives election for Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency in the 2015 General Election.
7. From 2018 to 2019, Aiyedatiwa served as the federal commissioner who represented Ondo State on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
8. He was deputy governor of Ondo State from 2021 to 2023 under the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
9. He also served as acting governor from June to September 2023 and for a few days in December when Akeredolu was on medical leave.
10. On December 27, 2023, Aiyedatiwa was sworn in as Ondo State Governor.