Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State is dead.

The governor died on Wednesday morning, aged 67, after a protracted battle with leukemia and prostate cancer.

Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who also served as the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from 2008 to 2010, and Attorney General of Ondo State, from 1997 to 1999, was a second-term governor before his death. He was first elected governor in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. His constitutionally permissible two-term in office elapses in 2024.

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The governor’s death was announced in a statement by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju.

“Mr. Governor peacefully departed from this world in the early hours of today, Wednesday, December 27, 2023,” she wrote.

“This tragedy has left behind a profound void in our hearts. Governor Akeredolu answered the eternal call while receiving medical treatment in Germany. He succumbed to complications arising from protracted prostate cancer.”

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On September 7, Akeredolu returned from a three-month medical leave in Germany and set up office in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

Akeredolu’s return, remote work condition and initial refusal to hand over the reins of power to Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the deputy governor, sparked a political crisis in the state.

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