Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State is dead. He was aged 67.
He died at about 2 a.m. this morning in a German hospital where he was receiving treatment.
He died of leukemia and prostate cancer, two ailments that had made him incapacitated for several months.
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.
Akeredolu’s long absence created political maneuvering that pitched the Deputy Governor against his principal. 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.
Recently President Bola Tinubu stepped in and asked that the status quo be maintained with certain conditions. Some of the conditions include that Aiyedatiwa would not be declared acting governor, in an apparent move to save 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.