A former vice
principal of Jamat Nasir Secondary School and a native of Omu-Aran in
Irepodun council of Kwara State, Lekan Adedayo, 57, had plans to
venture into politics after his retirement, which he didn’t shy away
from sharing. Perhaps reckoning it a launching pad for his own
political ambitions, he lent his full support to the bid of his former
student, Shola Richard Babatunde, the candidate of the Allied Congress
Party of Nigeria (ACPN), to represent Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero
federal constituency in the national assembly.
Mr Adedayo believed
that if the party he supported won at the polls, his life would change
for the better. NEXT learnt that the politician had vowed that if
elected he would keep his promise to help his old teacher, Mr Adedayo.
During the campaign
for the election, Mr Adedayo tried all he could for his candidate to
win. He went about trying to convince as many as possible on the need
to vote for Mr Babatunde.
Speaking to NEXT, a
friend of the deceased said that “the cause of the deceased’s death was
(that) during the counting of votes after the House of Representatives
election in Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero constituency, the PDP (Peoples
Democratic Party) got almost all the votes while the ACPN, the party he
supported, got 30 votes. He asked if that was the end of everything.
The people around him started consoling him. That was when he heaved a
deep sigh and collapsed. Although we rushed him to the hospital, he
later gave up the ghost.”
Help from the politician
One of the
deceased’s children, Bolu Adedayo, a student of Ramat Polytechnic,
Maiduguri, Borno State, lamented that he was very close to his father,
who never made him feel that his school was far away from home.
According to him, the loss of had created “a big sore” in his heart. He
expressed conviction that his father did not die from any illness. “It
was politics that killed him,” he said.
He furthered
disclosed that the candidate, Mr Babatunde, and other members of the
party his father was rooting for, rushed him to the hospital when they
learnt that his health was failing. The hospital bills and other
expenses were duly taken care of by Mr Babatunde, he said.
The son appealed to
the politician to help him complete his education. He also made a case
for his brother, who just concluded his national youth service, to be
provided with a job.
Another friend of
the deceased, Kehinde Adebayo, who explained that they were colleagues
at Ilofa Grammar School, said, “Everybody at Oke Iroko Compound in
Omu-Aran is in sorrow over the deceased’s untimely death. He was an
easygoing person who was not really into politics. But because of his
love for Mr Babatunde, this made him put his mind on it not knowing he
would meet his death there.”
A resident of the town, who did not want to be mentioned, said, “I
know the level of the candidate’s concern for the deceased’s family,
but he should also help them in a big way because the responsibilities
of family will be too much for his wives to bear.”
