The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has described the death of Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State (popularly known as AKETI) as painful and great loss to the South-West. The Southwest Zonal Secretary of the party, Mr. Femi Olaniyi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos that Nigeria had lost a great leader. “It is a painful one that the governor (Akeredolu) died and ended this way after struggling for so long for his life. “We want to send our condolences to the family and all the people in Ondo state. “This is the time for morning not to celebrate anything, especially the politicians. “We just need to pray for the family the governor left behind. AKETI has done really well for Ondo state compared to all his predecessors,” Olaniyi, also the Lagos State SDP Chairman, said. Olaniyi, who called on the government to immortalise the late governor, prayed for the repose of his soul. Speaking on the demise of Alhaji Ghali Na’Abba, the former speaker, house of representatives, the SDP chieftain said that the late lawmaker would be remembered for his contributions to the nation. “He (Na’Abba) has done his own quota; he has done well for the nation as a public servant. We sympathise with the family and the nation. “He was able to stabilise the house, there was unity in the house when he was the speaker. He campaigned against ethnic politics,” Olaniyi said. He called on all the people in government to rally round the family and console them. NAN reports that Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former president of the Nigerian Bar Association was born on July 21, 1956, and died on Wednesday at the age of 67. The ailing governor returned to Nigeria in September following a three-month medical leave in Germany and only recently proceeded on another leave before the news of his death broke out. Similarly, Na’Abba, a former speaker of the house of representatives died early hours of Wednesday at the National Hospital in Abuja at 65. Late Na’Abba was a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and became the party’s candidate for Kano Municipal Federal Constituency and won the seat in the 1999 general elections.
He subsequently emerged speaker after the political crisis that led to exit of the first speaker of the Fourth Republic, Salisu Buhari.
