President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with Osun State Government and members of the National Assembly on the passing away of Sen. Isiaka Adeleke on Sunday.
President Buhari sends his condolences to the family and friends of the gentle and kind hearted former Governor of Osun State who had passionately and relentlessly championed the cause of the less privileged and most vulnerable in Nigeria.
The President believes the sudden loss of the legislator will create a gap in the hallowed red chamber as Adeleke had always epitomized unbridled patriotism, maturity and experience, especially with his recent interest in the protection of whistle blowers.
President Buhari affirms that Adeleke’s contribution to his state, as first elected governor, and the country will always be remembered by posterity.
He prays that the Almighty God will grant the soul of the departed eternal rest, and comfort the family.
Also, APC chieftain and former Governor of Lagos state, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said received the news of Senator Isiaka Adeleke’s death with numbing shock.
According to him, it was too much to bear coming barely a day after that of Dipo Famakinwa. The news of his death was both sudden and saddening for me and I am sure for most members of our political family.
“Senator Adeleke was a grassroots politician with a rich political background. He was hugely popular in his Osun State, particularly in the three local governments in Ede, his hometown. He was a major leader of our party, the APC. His leadership and good counsel were still very much required when death came.
“The late senator and I shared mutual respect and affection. My path and his first crossed during the aborted Third Repubic, in the 1992/93 era, when we both belonged in the defunct Social Democratic Party. He was in the Peoples Democratic Party at the rebirth of democratic dispensation in 1999 but he later joined us in the APC in the build-up to the 2015 election.
“We would always remember him as that charismatic first civilian governor of Osun State who left behind a legacy in the area of education by establishing Ire Polytechnic and College of Education, Esa-Oke, among other laudable things he did during his time.
Adeleke was with us in Lagos during the colloquium marking my 65th birthday. He also joined us for the inauguration of Aboru-Abesan Link Bridge and adjoining roads constructed by Governor Ambode and opened as part of my 65th birthday anniversary.
“I commiserate with his wife and children. I commiserate with the entire Adeleke family and his friends and numerous supporters. My heart also goes out to his brother, Dr. Deji Adeleke. I mourn with Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the people of Osun State over this unfortunate occurrence.
“I pray that they all have the strength to withstand this loss. I also pray for the repose of Adeleke’s soul.
In the same vein, former Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress Atiku Abubakar has mourned the pioneer civilian governor of Osun State, Senator Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke.
A press statement issued by his media office in Abuja on Sunday, 23 April, 2017 quotes the former Vice President as expressing shock at the demise of the two-time Osun senator.
The Turakin Adamawa describes Adeleke as a cosmopolitan politician, who had a good grasp of the dynamics of Nigeria having spent his early years in Enugu until the onset of the Nigerian Civil War before relocating to Ibadan to complete his secondary education.
Atiku Abubakar notes Adeleke’s commitment to education having instituted a scholarship award for about 100 indigent students in tertiary institutions across the country, among other humanitarian interventions.
The former Vice President expresses his deepest condolences to the Adeleke family, his people of Ede and the government and people of the State of Osun over the loss of their illustrious son.
Atiku also condoles with the National Assembly in particular the Senate and the All Progressives Congress in Osun State.
He prays for the repose of his soul and strength and comfort to the family, friends and associates to bear the loss.
…. We Are Still in Shock Over This Nightmare -Osun Govt
The Government of Osun on Sunday said it is still in shock over the sudden death of the first Civilian Governor of the state, Alhaji Isiaka Adeleke.
The Government described as a nightmare, the news of the death of one of the illustrious sons of the state.
In a short statement signed by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the government said the death of Senator Adeleke is hard to accept.
“The sad news of the death of the first civilian governor of our state, Alhaji Isiaka Adetunji Adeleke, has struck us like a thunderbolt. Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who is far away in China on state assignment is still speechless and in mourning.
“While the government awaits the reports of the autopsy which is being conducted, we can only calm our people to take this huge and incalculable loss with equanimity.
“Alhaji Adeleke, no doubt, has served our dear state well. First as its Civilian Governor and currently as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he has provided adequate representation for the people of his senatorial district and the state. He was a politician with towering dossier.
“We find this loss inexplicable but we are restrained by the fact that we cannot query the verdicts of our Creator, the Almighty.
“We commiserate with the good people of Osun over this sad loss. We are still in shock,” the statement added.
