Talk of one woman who is quite popular in Ondo State today and her name will pop up instantly. She is not only popular, she is very influential. She is always in the news for so many reasons. She is one woman who can make things happen in the state. That is the extent of the influence Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu commands in Ondo State till today, despite the death of her husband. With the passing on of her husband, Aketi, the late Governor of the State, many had felt his exit will reduce the over bearing influence which she had, but that does not seem to be the case, as she still commands a lot of influence, despite the fact that the state has a new Governor, Ayedatiwa, who was her husband’s deputy.
As you read this, City People gathered that Mrs. Betty Akeredolu, is also actively involved in who becomes the next Governor of the state come November. We hear many of those who belong to the Aketi caucus still go to her for consultation, because she wields a lot of influence. Those who want to contest for APC primaries go to her also.
Going by her plans, she does not want the incumbent governor to win. She prefers one of the Aketi Boys to win, so that she can continue to wield her political influence.
She has not hidden the fact that she detests the current Governor who she feels betrayed her husband.
Repeatedly, the current governor has explained that he had no issues with the late Governor. He said they had a cordial relationship. And that stories of a rift between the 2 was made up by Aketi loyalists who wanted to create imaginary rift between them.
Betty is not only fighting with the Governor. He is at war with so many people who don’t like her. There are those who detest the fact that even though she is Igbo, she has come to dominate the Politics of the state, wielding the kind of influence no 1st lady in Ondo State has wielded.
She herself does not hide her feelings. She continues to take on anybody who crosses her path.
A few weeks back, Betty Akeredolu, penned a very controversial tribute to her husband in the funeral service bulletin which went viral on social media. She lambasted those criticising their marriage based on ethnic differences. She defended their inter-ethnic marriage and shamed critics who doubted a Yoruba man’s love for his Igbo wife.
“They are infuriated that a Yoruba man can love his wife who is Igbo. How can? Igbo lasan, lasan! To them na only Oyibo man dey love.”
Betty spoke about how they met duringg their Youth Service Corps in Enugu State. She also used the opportunity to address the controversies and rumours ignited by the sickness and eventual death of her husband. During Akeredolu’s sickness, Betty was accused of taking control of the state and preventing her husband from handing over power to the deputy governor. Some also described the late Governor as a weakling in his marriage. In her tribute titled Tribute To My Love Aketi “Darlin,…it’s me your adorable Betty. You just left me. Just like that ! It hurts. Badly it hurts. Now alone. To face all manners of mockety. From the so-called friends and adversaries alike. Not a few lashed out that you were a weakling because you loved me.” “A beg o! Can an Amotekun generalissmo be a weakling? Mbanuu! It doesn’t add up man. Haba! By the way, do they know what love is? I don’t think so. Na love at first sight brought us together, biko. No be juju! Na love, me cross the Niger.
She also took a jibe at her husbands aides saying people who beat their wives mocked you for loving me. She said those who assaulted their wives mocked her late husband for being lovely.
Before her Tribute, Mrs. Akeredolu, had faced difficult times from political supporters and aides of her late husband, as she constantly used her social media pages to throw shades at her critics, while her husband was on his sick bed.
Recently, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, the widow of the late former Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, publicly admonished her husband’s niece, for endorsing the incumbent governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, ahead of the state’s governorship election.
In a statement on her Instagram page last Monday, Betty expressed her disapproval of Funke’s support for Aiyedatiwa, labeling her as shameless and questioning her allegiance to the family. Betty’s post revealed skepticisms regarding Funke’s motives, suggesting that only time will reveal whether her purported luck holds.
Lucky Aiyedatiwa assumed the position of Governor of Ondo State on December 27th, 2023, following the passing of his predecessor, Akeredolu, who succumbed to prostate cancer in Germany at the age of 67.
Betty Akeredolu’s public rebuke highlights the internal tensions within the Akeredolu family and underscores the complexities surrounding political allegiances in the wake of Rotimi Akeredolu’s demise.
Widow of the late governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, Betty came under attack after this her recent Instagram post, criticising her husband’s niece for coming out to support the governorship aspiration of the new governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Who is Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu? She is from Owerri in Imo State. She is an Aquaculturist, Feminist and Gender activist. She is the founder of the Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria and a survivor of Breast Cancer. Her full names are Betty Onyetugochioma Claribel Uburuamaka Anyanwu. She is 70. She is from Owerri, in Imo State.
She is well educated, having attended the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology in 1977. She holds a Masters in Fisheries, with a Major in Aquaculture from the University of Philippines Visayas in Iloilo City. She began her career as a Fish farmer while working with the Federal Department of Fisheries. She retired in 2005. She is a Commercial Fish Farmer and provides consultancy services through her firm, Aquatek Farms Ventures. Many don’t know that she is also an active politician in Ondo State. She made her forcy into politics in 2007 and has been active in the politics of the state.
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