The Ondo State Governor, His Excellency Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, is under renewed pressure from the Akpata Youth Council (AYC) in Ese-odo LGA, to honour a campaign promise that could become a defining moment of his tenure on the elevation of the Akpata Chieftaincy Stool.
In a strongly worded open letter dated August 8, 2025, the youth group accused successive governments of neglecting one of the oldest and most influential communities in the Arogbo Ijaw ethnic nationality, calling the situation a “long-standing historical oversight” that must be corrected.
The group acknowledged Aiyedatiwa’s recent appointment of an Akpata indigene, Hon. Lawrence Tibi-Ebi Steven, as a Part-Time Board Member of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), describing it as a “historic breakthrough”, but made it clear that the symbolic recognition was not enough.
“Your promise during the last campaign was a key factor in our overwhelming support for your election. We trust you to honour it,” the letter reads.
The youth leaders, Comrade Jedah Stephen Gabai (President) and Comrade Ogilibo Adeoba Peretun (Secretary) warned that failing to act on the pledge could tarnish the governor’s credibility, while fulfilling it would etch his name “in the annals of history” as a leader who corrected an injustice and preserved cultural heritage.
Below is the full text of their letter:
AKPATA YOUTH COUNCIL (AYC)
Motto: Justice and Equity
8th August, 2025
HIS EXCELLENCY
Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa
Executive Governor,
Ondo State.
LETTER OF APPRECIATION AND PASSIONATE APPEAL
Your Excellency,
We, the Youths of Akpata community in Ese-odo LGA, humbly write in our capacity to express our profound appreciation and unalloyed gratitude for the appointment of Hon. Lawrence Tibi-Ebi Steven, as a Part-Time Board Member of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC).
This appointment is not just a political gesture; it is a historic milestone. In the political history of Ondo State, no Akpata indigene has ever been accorded such recognition at the state level. Your administration has broken a long-standing barrier and re-written a narrative that had endured for decades.
This singular act speaks volumes of your transparent, honest, and inclusive style of leadership. Indeed, Your Excellency’s name is now etched in the annals of our history in letters of gold.
However, while we rejoice over this appointment, we cannot fail to passionately draw Your Excellency’s attention to a matter of profound importance — the elevation of the ancient Akpata tradition Stool.
The Akpata community is not just a settlement; it is an ancient community with deep historical and cultural roots. It stands as one of the ancestral pillars through which majority of the most prominent sons and daughters of the Arogbo Ijaw ethnic nationality are genealogically connected. In truth, those who are not linked to Akpata by blood, history, or heritage are few and countable in Arogbo kingdom.
Your Excellency, you made a clear promise to us — conveyed through the Executive Chairman of Ese-Odo Local Government Area, High Chief Ebimobowei Molos, and some of your political appointees — during the last gubernatorial campaign, to elevate the Akpata chieftaincy stool. This promise was among the key assurances that earned you overwhelming support from our people, contributing immensely to your resounding electoral victory. We have no doubt in your integrity and in your word as a leader who honours commitments.
Therefore, we passionately appeal that this long-overdue elevation be actualized under your watch. If fulfilled, it will not only correct a long-standing historical oversight but also stand as yet another monumental achievement that future generations will celebrate in your name.
In conclusion, we once again thank you most sincerely for the appointment of Hon. Lawrence Tibi-ebi Steven, and looking forward, with great optimism, to the elevation of the Akpata Chieftaincy Stool, becoming a reality under your visionary leadership.
Gracias, Your Excellency.
Comr. Jedah Stephen Gabai
(President)
Comr. Ogilibo Adeoba Peretun
(Secretary)
