in

BREAKING: Ondo APC Governorship Aspirant Paul Akintelure Is Dead

Paul Akintelure, an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Ondo state, has died.

Alex Kalejaye, the APC’s spokesperson in Ondo State, verified the event over the phone with Channels Television early Tuesday.

While the cause of his death is unknown, Akintelure died just days after warning of potential 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.”

In 2012, the late Akintelure stood as the Action Congress of Nigeria’s (ACN) deputy governorship candidate alongside Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

Previously, he ran for senator in Ondo South as part of the ACN.

He was a Lagos-based private medical practitioner from Igbotako, Okitipupa Local Government Area, Ondo State.

Tributes

Meanwhile, tributes are already coming in for the deceased. The Ondo APC said it is saddened by the news of Akintelure’s death.

“The State Chairman Engr. Ade Adetimehin who described the deceased as a personal friend, with whom he had a good relationship over the years, said the news is shocking,” the Ondo APC chairman said.

“Akintelure was a highly refined and consistent political figure, whose position was that the essence of being in politics is to build the people and the land.

“The contributions of the departed political leader, to the development and stability of the Ondo State chapter of APC will not be forgotten.”

On its part, the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organisation Foot Soldiers (LACO-FS) 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 while commiserating with the family of the deceased, said it has suspended its itinerary for the week in honour of the departed leader.

SPECIAL REPORT: Inside OAU Where Illegal Miners Plunder Nigeria’s Precious Stones

REPORT: IBEDC Disconnects UCH Thrice In One Month Over N495m Debt