Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State is dead. He died in the early hours of Wednesday in Germany, after a prolonged battle with prostate cancer.

An authoritative government source told newsmen in Akure that the governor, 67, died in the early hours of Wednesday at the hospital.

“Yes, it is true. Governor Akeredolu died in the early hours of this morning,” the source said.

It will be recalled that the ailing governor had earlier this month written to the state House of Assembly, informing the lawmakers of his decision to proceed on medical leave again, and subsequently transmitted power to his deputy, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to act as governor.

Arakunrin Akeredolu had returned to Nigeria in September, after another round of three months medical leave in Germany, but had stayed in Ibadan, a development that led to public outrage and intervention of President Bola Tinubu.