The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has mourned the death of one of its governorship aspirants, Paul Akintelure.
The spokesperson of the APC in Ondo State Steve Otaloro confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with Newsmen early Tuesday.
Akintelure’s death came days after the medical doctor turned politician raised alarm about threats to his life.
“Initially, I hope these incidents would dissipate over time, yet regrettably, they have escalated to pose a serious threat to my life,” his spokesman Oladapo Akintelure said in a March 21 statement.
“The threats against me only strengthen my resolve to stand up for what is right and just. I will not allow fear to dictate our path forward.
“Let us embrace peace, progress, and unity. Our collective strength lies in our to stand together as one, regardless of our differences.”
The deceased had in 2012 ran as the deputy governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) with Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.
Before then, he contested for the Ondo South senatorial election also under the ACN.
He was a Lagos-based private medical practitioner who hailed from Igbotako in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Meanwhile, the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers (LACO-FS) is mourning the late medical doctor.
The group described the death as painful and benumbing.
“We grieve for this sudden passage of our great leader, Dr. Paul Akintelure, whose contributions to not just APC but above all, party politics and democracy in Nigeria, cannot be quantified,” the organisation’s convener Oladipupo Okeyomi said in a statement issued through the LACO-FS State Director of Information Kayode Fasua.
The campaign organisation said it has suspended its itinerary for the week in honour of the departed leader.
“We recall with nostalgic feelings how he, in the dark days of military rule, teamed up with now President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to ensure the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria,” LACO-FS said.
“It’s quite sad that he left us at a time he was most needed for consolidation and progressive inroads; but who are we to query God?”
Governor Aiyedatiwa LACO-FS, and the entire people of the state, he added, commiserate with the deceased’s immediate family, the people of Igbotako in Okitipupa Local Government Area from where he hailed, the political class and the medical profession, on Akintelure’s departure.
