It is the end of a great era as the news of the demise of Ondo State number one citizen breaks out in the early hours of Wednesday 27th December, 2023.

It will be recalled that Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu has been battling with serious health conditions over some months ago, and so it seemed that Arakunrin had succumbed to the ferocity of the protracted multiple health conditions that have been embattling him.

According to reports, Akeredolu battled with two deadly cancers at the same time; prostrate cancer and leukemia, cancer of the blood. These conditions have kept him immobile for several months until they finally snuffed life out of the great legal luminary. He died in Lagos where state House medical personnel tried all their best to save him.

Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), won his re-election as the state governor in October 2020 and was sworn in for a second term in office in February 2021.
However, his second term has been bedeviled from inception with political rivalry, especially, as championed by His Deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa with his loyalists, and then, by his bad health conditions. His real troubles reared their ugly faces when he went for medical leave in June, 2023.

He spent sveral months abroad before he came to Nigeria in September and settled in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State from where he performed his official functions as the Executive Governor of Ondo State. A lot of dust was raised concerning this as the deputy Governor and his fans kicked against Akeredolu’s refusal to transfer state businesses to his deputy in acting capacity in the realities of his incapacities.

However, when his case became worse, on Wednesday, December 13, he proceeded on another medical leave, this time around he wrote a notice formally transferring power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa who later assumed the responsibilities of the governor in full acting capacity.

However, it is the end of an era as the the Ondo State first lady, Betty-Anyanwu Akeredolu has announced the suspension of the plans towards her 70th birthday program as her "husband, the Governor of Ondo State, His Excellency Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu dies around 2am on Wednesday 27th December, 2023.

In a reports, Akeredolu passed away on Wednesday at around 2 a.m. in the morning while undergoing treatment in a German hospital.