Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu SAN, has declared support for his wife, Betty Anyawu-Akeredolu’s aspiration to contest the Imo East Senatorial election in 2023 as they celebrate their 41st Wedding Anniversary.
In a statement that the governor personally signed, Akeredolu said that he believes in the mission of his wife to emancipate women from the shackles of all forms of oppression.
He described his spouse as a fiercely independent personality who is never afraid to voice her dissent on any issue, saying “I have witnessed her triumphs over adversities at close quarters.”
In the statement titled ‘Public Service: The Greatest Privilege’, Governor Akeredolu said, “Betty, Floos, let me choose this great day in our lives, our 41st wedding Anniversary to notch up in print my support for your popular and known quest to serve your people in the Senate.
“The evolution of modern societies bears indelible evidence of significant inputs of few people. This trajectory records definitive impacts of those who dare to think and act differently.
“The consequence of this defiance finds expression in a radical departure from the old order, leading to transformation. It yields quality accretions that impact positively on the people in any given space.
“The world owes those who dare a debt of gratitude for audacity, tenacity, consistency and focus. These torchbearers withstand the brunt of vilification, contempt, deprivation and even rejection. They remain undaunted until the set goal is achieved. They are rarely praised afterwards.
He continued, “Public service is taken as the highest form of participation in the affairs of a human community, state or a country. It ennobles anyone, privileged to serve, whose tenacity, focus and integrity ensure development. Only a few are truly equipped for service. They must be encouraged at all times.
“Anytime, anywhere and under whatever circumstances, those who hold views which threaten to shatter age-long widely held beliefs and/or practices are a special breed. Those whose activities have borne a positive impact on the lives of the underprivileged must be supported by all good people.
“I join all other well-wishers, admirers, supporters and stakeholders to support, openly and without any reservations or equivocation, my adorable Betty in her bid to continue to serve the people in her State of birth, Imo.”
The governor while further eulogising his wife described her as a ‘workaholic, gender and human rights activist, humanist and philanthropist’
“I do this, most enthusiastically, as a partner, admirer and active follower for over four decades. I consider myself highly privileged to have a workaholic, gender and human rights activist, humanist and philanthropist as wife, adviser, harshest critic, supporter, political associate and, above all, an unrelenting ideologue, ready to sacrifice and confront any obstacle, natural and artificial,” the statement read in parts.
