Ondo gov, Akeredolu, ex-Speaker, Na'Abba die December 27

 

By Chuka Nnabuife

SAD news broke in Nigeria, early in the morning of Wednesday, December 27 that the ailing governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu and a former Speaker of the federal House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na'Abba have died.

While Akeredolu (AKETI), the governor of Ondo, a senior advocate of Nigeria and erstwhile president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) died in an undisclosed hospital in Lagos, Alhaji Na'Abba who represented Kano Municipal constituency died in National Hospital, Abuja. Both had been ill and subjects of rumoured death reports in recent times but their passing, day after Boxing Day have been confirmed by family members and aides in separate releases.

According to an online publication of SaharaReporters, a family source disclosed Gov. Akeredolu's death in Lagos, early, Wednesday morning.

He was reportedly managed by State House doctors because they could not fly him abroad prior to his death.

“Akeredolu is dead; he died in Lagos.

“They were looking for dialysis machines to be sent to his secret location in Lagos last week,” the source said.

The very successful lawyer and politician who died at the age of 67 began to ail as governor. He spent several months, abroad for medical treatment. He returned to Nigeria in September following a three-month medical leave in Germany. Upon relapse of his condition, he travelled again later. Following escalation of the political backlash that his conspicuous absence on duty post ensued between his followers and his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa's, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intervened last month to broker peace.

Meanwhile, the former Speaker, Na’Abba's death in Abuja, was disclosed by his brother, Ahmed.

Through a telephone call, he informed that Na’abba died in the early hours of Wednesday at the National Hospital, Abuja.

“He died around 3 a.m. in the wee hours of Wednesday at the National Hospital, Abuja.

“We are currently making arrangements for transportation of the corpse to Kano for burial,” Ahmed said.

Since the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, rumours have been rife that Alhaji Na’abba was dead. But they all turned to be false.

The late Na’Abba who died at the age of 65, won the Kano Municipal Federal Constituency seat in 1999 under Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and became Speaker of the House of Representatives after the political crisis unseated the first Speaker of the Fourth Republic, the disgraced Salisu Buhari.

He was a graduate of political science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

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