• Plot to strip spokesman of multi-million naira CPS subvention after cooling political heat uncovered
• Information Commissioner Ajanaku’s fate hangs in the balance as Governor centralizes media control
In the intricate labyrinth of Nigerian political power, a promotion is rarely just a pat on the back; sometimes, it serves as a gilded cage or the opening gambit of a quiet, calculated political purge. This dynamic was recently underscored in Ondo State when Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa elevated his Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, to the cabinet-level rank of Special Adviser on Media and Publicity while permitting him to retain his original portfolio.
On the surface, the reaction across Akure was overwhelmingly celebratory, with professional bodies, including the Ondo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), hailing the move as a well-deserved reward for competence and tireless image-making. Yet, beneath the congratulatory press statements and handshakes, whispers within the Alagbaka Government House point to a far more complex and layered political intrigue regarding why two distinct media offices were merged into one man’s hands.
To fully understand the gravity of this development, one must look back at Adeniyan’s trajectory within the administration. An indigene and Prince of Akure, a seasoned journalist, author, and former Ondo NUJ Secretary, Adeniyan was among the initial set of aides appointed by Governor Aiyedatiwa on December 27, 2023, hours after the governor took the oath of office following the passing of former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.
For nearly three years, he has served as the chief megaphone and crisis manager for the administration, with his technical capacity remaining unquestioned. However, in the volatile theater of Nigerian statecraft, professional competence is rarely sufficient when political survival and future succession calculations enter the equation.
According to high-level sources within the corridors of power, the timing of Adeniyan’s elevation is far from coincidental. Ondo State’s political climate has grown increasingly charged amid a protracted supremacy battle and cold war between Governor Aiyedatiwa and the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, as rival power blocs position themselves for future realignments.
In such tense environments, principals become hyper-vigilant about the personal allegiances of those closest to them. Insiders have disclosed that while Adeniyan’s professional output remains unassailable, his loyalty standing and expanding personal political profile have quietly come under scrutiny. As an Akure native with well-documented grassroots networks and political ambitions, concerns reportedly mounted among some elements around the governor that the spokesman’s visibility was beginning to rival or overshadow that of his principal.
If the governor harbored reservations about his spokesman’s growing stature, seasoned political watchers note that standard political survival rules dictate against abruptly discarding an operative who holds sensitive institutional memory and operational intelligence.
Having served as a core pillar of the Aiyedatiwa administration since December 2023, Adeniyan knows where vital administrative records and strategies reside. Instantly removing him from the system would risk pushing a well-connected communicator straight into the arms of rival camps or the opposition, armed with damaging state secrets.
Instead, political strategists suggest a patient, multi-step maneuver may be underway. Phase One involves elevating him to a prestigious cabinet title to disarm immediate suspicion, while Phase Three or subsequent moves could involve quietly decoupling the offices and stripping him of the Chief Press Secretary role once political temperatures cool.
The financial implications of such a prospective split are significant. Bureaucratic sources indicate that the office of the Chief Press Secretary commands a direct monthly subvention running into millions of naira, providing substantial operational clout and patronage power, whereas the standalone position of a Special Adviser carries far less independent financial muscle. Stripped of the CPS machinery over time, an official would be left with a high-sounding title but clipped wings, forcing a solitary choice between remaining in the cabinet with diminished influence or stepping aside.
Conversely, another faction within the Government House offers an alternative reading of the chessboard, suggesting that the primary target of the administrative shake-up may actually be the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, who assumed office in July 2025 to reposition the state’s communication architecture.
In this scenario, the administration, eager to tighten narrative control and fend off opposition criticism, sought to centralize communication authority under a battle-tested hand, effectively rendering the substantive Commissioner for Information redundant and fueling strong speculation of an impending exit.
For now, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan continues to wear two crowns in Alagbaka, signing official releases as both Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity while standing at the perceived zenith of his influence.
Whether this dual mandate represents the consolidation of an indispensable media czar or the elaborate prelude to a soft political landing remains one of Ondo State’s tightly held political secrets, proving once again that in Nigerian politics, the true meaning of an appointment is revealed only when the next card is played.
