TRAGEDY: Lagos PDP caretaker chairman, Osolanke slumps, dies

LAGOS State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was, on Saturday evening, thrown into mourning, following the sudden death of Chief Babatunde  Osolanke, who is the chairman, Caretaker Committee of the party.

He reportedly slumped at a hotel room and was quickly rushed to Ikeja General Hospital, where he was comfirmed dead.

Sunday Tribune gathered that the deceased was scheduled to hold a meeting with some chieftains of the party to fix a date for the party’s congress, which ought to have commenced on Saturday but for a reconciliation parley held at the residence of a former deputy national chairman of PDP, Chief Olabode George, lasting till the early hours of the day, where the decision to reschedule the congress took place.

According to the chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of the party’s caretaker committee, Chief Femi Careena, Osolanke died while preparing to hold a meeting in respect of the rescheduled party’s congress.

“So, we are in a mourning mood as I speak with you now; we are really in a mourning mood,” he said.

According to Careena, the deceased was at a reconciliation meeting organised by the PDP leadership between Chief George and Chief (Mrs.) Aduke Maina, both members of the PDP Board of Trustees.

He described the outcome as highly  successful, as both George and Maina agreed to cease fire and call on their supporters to work together in the interest of the party and the South-West ahead of the national convention of the PDP coming up in December in Abuja.

In his reaction, George described the death as shocking to him, recalling that the deceased was at a meeting that took place in his house last night and did his best to achieve reconciliation for the party in the state ahead of the PDP National Convention holding in Abuja.

“It was a shock,” the PDP stalwart said, adding that the deceased did everything in his capacity to unite the party and strengthen it.