In a devastating turn of events, Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has passed away at the age of 67. A family source confirmed to SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the governor breathed his last in Lagos. The source revealed that Akeredolu had been under the care of State House doctors until his demise, as his deteriorating health prevented him from being flown abroad for treatment.
“Akeredolu is dead; he died in Lagos,” the source stated, adding that efforts were made to locate dialysis machines for the governor’s treatment at a discreet location in Lagos in the preceding week.
Akeredolu’s health struggles became public knowledge when he returned to Nigeria in September after a three-month medical leave in Germany. Recently, he had embarked on another medical leave following the directive from President Bola Tinubu to hand over power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who has been serving as the Acting Governor.
Despite attempts to govern remotely from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, during his earlier medical leave, Akeredolu faced public outrage. The governor’s wife, Betty, also faced criticism when she announced the suspension of activities planned for her 70th birthday celebration in light of her husband’s health condition.
In January, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that Akeredolu was undergoing treatment for leukemia, a type of cancer affecting blood-forming tissues. Leukemia leads to an overproduction of abnormal white blood cells, hindering the body’s ability to fight infections. The report highlighted the complexities of leukemia treatment and the various types of the disease, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
WebMD Cancer Center outlines symptoms of leukemia, including weakness or fatigue, easy bruising or bleeding, severe or recurrent infections, bone or joint pain, headaches, vomiting, seizures, weight loss, night sweats, shortness of breath, and swollen lymph nodes or organs such as the spleen.
The passing of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu leaves Ondo State in mourning, as Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa assumes the responsibilities of Acting Governor in this difficult time.
