Governor Rotimi Akeredolu Dies of Leukemia at 67 Years

The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has passed away. It was reported that Akeredolu died of leukemia on Wednesday in Lagos around 2 a.m. He was 67 years old when he died.

The governor had been on a three-month medical leave in Germany following his ill health but returned to Nigeria in September. Since then, the governor has not taken a leave of absence until President Bola Tinubu instructed that he transfer power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The Ondo state governor began his medical leave on December 13, 2023, as part of his ongoing treatment, according to Richard Olatunde, the chief press secretary. 

During his absence, Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa assumed the acting governor role, which led to tensions between the governor’s loyalists and the deputy.

Akeredolu, absent from Ondo since June 2023, reportedly received further treatment in Ibadan, Oyo state, while overseeing state affairs which provoked the masses.

He was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president. 

His tenure as governor followed re-election as the state governor in October 2020, and he was sworn in for a second term in office in February 2021 under the All Progressives Congress.

Rotimi Akeredolu Profile Based on Sources

Who is Rotimi Akeredolu?
Rotimi Akeredolu was born on July 21, 1956, in Owo.  He attended Aquinas College, Akure, Loyola College, Ibadan, and Ayetoro High School, after which he bagged a law degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), graduating in 1977 and being called to the Nigerian Bar in 1978. 

Akeredolu served as the Attorney General of Ondo State from 1997 to 1999 and earned the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1998. Accused of corruption in 2009, the allegations were reviewed and dismissed by the Nigerian Bar Association. He emphasized the need for Nigerians to secure fair elections in a 2009 lecture. 

The Nigerian Bar Association named its Abuja secretariat after Akeredolu in 2012, citing his significant contributions. In 2022, he was awarded the Grand Patron of the NDLEA. 

Akeredolu contested the Ondo State governorship under the Action Congress of Nigeria in 2012. He secured the APC ticket in a controversial 2016 primary and emerged victorious in the 2016 Ondo State gubernatorial election on November 27, 2016.