Governor Rotimi Akeredolu is dead

The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, is dead, after a prolonged health battle.

Mr Akeredolu died at about 2 a.m. on Wednesday on his way to a German hospital where he was receiving treatment, a senior government official in Ondo State confirmed.

He was reported to have died in a secret location in Lagos where he was being stabilised before going to Germany because of his deteriorating health condition.

He died of leukaemia and prostate cancer, two ailments that had made him incapacitated for several months.

After a formal announcement of the governor’s death, the Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, will be sworn in as substantive governor by the state’s Chief Judge.

Mr Akeredolu went on his first medical leave to treat what was then an undisclosed ailment in June and returned in September. When he returned, the governor’s health was still being managed in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State where he intended to continue governing Ondo State, a situation that drew public outrage.

The governor did not transfer power to his deputy at the time. His critics accused him of holding on to power even when he was clearly incapacitated.

In December, he commenced another medical leave that was said to be a follow-up to his initial medical treatment. This time, he wrote the state assembly, formally transferring power to the Deputy Governor in acting capacity.

Mr Akeredolu’s long absence created political manoeuvring that pitched Mr Aiyedatiwa against his principal, Mr Akeredolu.

The situation snowballed into the state assembly attempting to launch an impeachment process against the deputy governor, leading to a legal battle between both parties.

The chaos recently subsided when President Bola Tinubu stepped in and asked that status quo be maintained with certain conditions. Some of the conditions include that Mr Aiyedatiwa would not be declared acting governor, in an apparent move to save Mr Akeredolu’s seat.

The deputy governor was also directed to submit an undated letter of resignation to President Tinubu, to guarantee that he would not disrupt the political configuration in the state while he runs the government until the full recovery of his principal, Mr Akeredolu.

Mr Akeredolu’s death on Wednesday paves the way for Mr Aiyedatiwa to be sworn in as the substantive governor of the state.

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