Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr. Adesina Ajayi, is dead.
A statement from the Ondo State Government, signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Aderotimi Adelola, said the former Speaker died after a protracted battle with cancer of the urinary bladder.
Ajayi represented Odigbo Constituency 11 at the Ondo State House of Assembly and was 61 years old.
The statement read, “The late Speaker, during his life time was a bridge builder, a man of integrity and a reliable team player who placed the interest of the state above personal consideration.
“The untimely death of the Speaker occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, February 25, 2014 during a protracted battle with the cancer of the urinary bladder.
“The Ondo State Government received the news with rude shock and disbelief and commiserates with the family of the late Speaker, the state legislature as well as the entire people of the state on this irreparable loss.
“It is our prayers that God will grant everyone of us the fortitude to bear this loss.”
Ajayi first became Speaker of the House in 2010 after the impeachment of Hon. Taofeek Abdulsalam, then of the People’s Democratic Party.
He was re-elected and returned as Speaker of the House after the 2011 elections, the position he held until his death on Tuesday.
Speculations over the nature of the deceased’s ailment were rife after his absence at the House in September, shortly after the Supreme Court gave judgment on the election that brought in Governor Olusegun Mimiko for a second term.
It was in fact rumoured at a time that Ajayi had died only for him to resurface in December, saying that he was hale and hearty.
After that public appearance, the late Speaker had not been able to attend the House sittings as he was said to have gone to seek medical attention abroad.
Copyright PUNCH.
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