The Lawmaker representing Akure South/North Constituency, Adedayo Omolafe is dead.
Omolafe popularly known as Expensive was a former chairman of Akure South local government
He was said to be hale and hearty on Sunday evening before he retired to bed in the night.
The lawmaker, according to a source close to the family was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night where he gave up the ghost.
A source close to the late Omolafe who craved anonymity said he died in Akure at about 2 am, on Monday, and said: “Expensive was not sick, we were still together yesterday (Sunday) morning, this is so sad, a terrible blow dealt Akure.”
Meanwhile, the Ondo State governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has expressed shock over the death of the lawmaker, saying the news of his death was received with a heavy heart and rude shock.
Akeredolu in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS) Mr Richard Olatunde, described the news of the death as devastating, saying the reality is too difficult to accept considering that no news of illness was heard about the late lawmaker before his sudden death.
The governor while recalling his interactions with Adedayo as one of the members of the Green Chamber from the Sunshine State, noted his candour and urbane character.
He said “Like every mortal, Expensive is gone in fulfilment of the mankind’s inescapable debt. It is painful that such a bright star is gone too soon. For our dear state, this is a big blow dealt by the ugly sting of death. It is a devastating tragedy.”
Akeredolu said the late Adedayo was committed to the service of his people, having served as an elected Executive Chairman of Akure South Local Government Area in 2004 and subsequently achieving his desire to represent his people at the National Assembly.
“He was renowned for his generosity, touching lives and making people smile with his act of giving. Adedayo has a track record of service to his people. He was a grassroot politician. His death is a great loss to Akure kingdom and the state in general.”
The governor commiserated with the National Assembly, the people of Akure, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, while he particularly condoled the immediate family of the deceased, urging them to take solace in the legacy of his good deeds, especially his philanthropic gestures while he was here.
“May the Almighty God grant him eternal rest and keep him in his bosom,” he prays.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, has described the departure of the lawmaker representing Akure South/North on the platform of the party as one too much to bear.
In a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the party in the state, Mr Kennedy Peretei, the party described Adedayo death as a colossal loss to Ondo PDP and the people of the state
The statement read: “The sudden and tragic demise of Hon. Omolafe Adedayo, popularly known as Expensive is difficult to accept, especially when he was not sick.
Expensive had been a constant political star since he was elected as Executive Chairman of Akure South Local Government Area in 2004 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“He was the State Co-ordinator of Sure-P program under former President Goodluck Jonathan. His dream to represent Akure South/ Akure North Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives did not come to fruition since 2007.
“Now that he became elected in 2019, on the platform of PDP, the cold hand of death has extinguished this bright star at the middle of his tenure.
“The Peoples Democratic Party, Ondo State Chapter is pained. We cannot find the exact words to convey the extent of our grief. The exit of Expensive is a colossal and irreparable loss to our party in Akure Federal Constituency and the entire PDP in the state.
“Hon. Omolafe Adedayo is a household name in Akure. His footprints on the sands of time are indelible.
“Our party commiserates with his wife, children, and indeed the extended family. May God in His infinite mercies grant him bliss in the world beyond”
Meanwhile, market women in Akure, the Ondo State capital have been trooping to the late lawmaker residence to confirm his death.
The women who converged at different locations in Akure described his exit as painful and wept profusely describing him as a cheerful giver.
Adedayo was elected to the House of Representatives in 2019 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He was a former Chairman of Akure South Local Government Area of the State during the Olusegun Agagu’s administration.
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