Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State passed away in Lagos on Wednesday at the age of 67. His death was confirmed by a reliable source who spoke to Newsmen, stating, “Akeredolu is dead; he died in Lagos.”
The late governor had been under the care of State House doctors up until his death. It was reported that there were attempts to send dialysis machines to his secret location in Lagos last week.
Akeredolu had returned to Nigeria in September after a three-month medical leave in Germany. Recently, he had taken another medical leave following a directive from President Bola Tinubu to hand over power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa. Since then, Deputy Aiyedatiwa has been serving as the acting governor.
Upon his return to Nigeria, Akeredolu had chosen to stay in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and attempted to govern his state from there, which led to public outrage.
In light of her husband’s ill health, Akeredolu’s wife, Betty, announced the suspension of activities planned for her 70th birthday. She made the announcement via her Twitter handle, apologizing for any inconvenience caused by the development.
“Hello Family and Friends. This is to inform you that all activities lined up to mark my 70th birthday are hereby suspended till further notice due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control,” she wrote. Despite the suspension, she assured her followers that she would celebrate in style upon her return.
This is a really sad thing to see. My condolences to the family and I pray they find comfort and strength to cope with this loss