The Minority Leader of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Oladejo Makinde is dead

The Minority Leader of the Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Oladejo Makinde, popularly known as Igwe is dead.

Makinde, who is one of the two members of the Peoples Democratic Party at the House died on Sunday, exactly the day he clocked 48.

Sources told our correspondent that the lawmaker, who was a former Chairman of Ife Central Local Government Area and House Committee Chairman on Integration and Special Duties, died after a brief illness.

The Chairman, House Committee on Information, Mr. Olatubosun Oyintiloye, who confirmed Igwe’s death on the telephone to our correspondent, described it as shocking.

He said the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital’s morgue.

Oyintiloye, who described Makinde as a intelligent lawmaker, said his colleagues and his constituents would miss him sorely.

Oyintiloye later said in a statement that the assembly was aware that the lawmaker was battling with an undisclosed illness.

The statement read, “The late lawmaker was battling with an illness, but his response to medical attention gave us the confidence that he would soon be back on his feet and join the legislative business in the house.

“The late lawmaker’s candour and relationship with other members of the Assembly, in spite of his political partisanship would be greatly missed.

“It is shocking that the late honourable Makinde died at this critical period that he is needed in his immediate and political family most.

“In Osun Assembly, we are really saddened to hear of the death of one of us. We will mourn deeply his demise due to his valuable contributions to deliberations in the Assembly.

“Politics apart, his engagement as a minority leader on the floor of the house has assisted the 6th Assembly to arrive at reasonable conclusions on several issues.”

Also, the Chairman of the PDP in Osun State, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, said the news of the death of the lawmaker came to him as a rude shock.

Olaoluwa said, “ It is sad that Igwe died at this time. He died on his birthday after a brief illness. The vacuum his death has created will be so difficult to fill. We are going to miss him. We pray that God will give his immediate family the fortitude to bear the loss.”

Igwe and the representative of Ife East Constituency at the House, Mr. Akinwole Akinwale, were the two PDP members, who emerged victorious during in the legislative election.

- PunchNg