Proclaim a day of mourning – Sowore slams Ondo Governor over 50th anniversary holiday

Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has criticized the Ondo State government, arguing that the state should be in a period of mourning for poor governance rather than celebrating its 50th anniversary with public holidays.

Sowore, a native of Kiribo in the Ese-Odo Local Government Area, voiced his concerns following Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s declaration of Monday and Tuesday as public holidays for the state’s anniversary celebrations.

The convener of the #RevolutionNow movement asserted that the state has stagnated under Governor Aiyedatiwa’s leadership, lacking any clear plan for development or renewal.

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“It would be more fitting for Ondo State citizens to aid Governor Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa in proclaiming a day of mourning over poor governance rather than observing a public holiday for the state’s 50th anniversary,” Sowore stated.

“Ondo @50 has been reduced to little more than spectacle and fluff under Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa’s watch. There are no refurbished schools to showcase. No bridges built. No completed roads to commission. No hospitals to open, and no concrete security achievements to speak of.”

Ondo State @50, Gov @LuckyAiyedatiwa is a disaster, the people of Ondo State don’t need a public holiday but a day of mourning for poor governance. pic.twitter.com/qtNveRefCz

— Omoyele Sowore (@sowore) February 1, 2026

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In response, Yomi Oyekan, a Senior Special Assistant to the governor, dismissed Sowore’s critique, suggesting the activist lacks a fundamental understanding of governance.

“Running a state is not running a Twitter space. Institutions are not built with rage, and development is not measured by how angry a post sounds,” Oyekan countered. “What’s more disappointing is that this comes from an Ondo son, someone who should understand the depth of our challenges. Instead of offering insight, timelines, or comparative analysis, you default to exaggeration: ‘nothing exists, nothing works, everything is fluff.’ That’s not bravery; that’s intellectual laziness.”

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Oyekan further accused Sowore of hypocrisy, questioning his democratic credentials within his own political party. “At some point, perpetual outrage stops looking like activism and starts looking like irrelevance. When a man spends years announcing collapse everywhere, people eventually stop asking him for direction,” he added.