The governor of Ondo state, Rotimi Akeredolu has critically fallen sick and is unable to walk as he is about to be flown out of Nigeria to seek urgent medical attention.
A report from Sahara reporters on Thursday, June 1, 2023, stated that the governor had become bedridden and was in his residence in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
It further stated that Akeredolu who was treating an ailment said to be blood cancer (leukemia), had been abandoned by his wife and children.
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood caused by a rise in the number of white blood cells in the body.
For sufferers, the white blood cells crowd out the red blood cells and platelets needed by the body to stay healthy.
White blood cells are potent infection fighters which grow and divide in an orderly way, as the body needs them. But in people with leukemia, the bone marrow produces an excessive amount of abnormal white blood cells, which don’t function properly.
It is a cancer of blood-forming tissues that hinders the body’s ability to fight infections. The types that exist include acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Treatment for leukemia can be complex depending on the type of leukemia and other factors. But some strategies and resources can help make treatment successful.
According to WebMD Cancer Center, its symptoms may include weakness or fatigue, bruising or bleeding easily, fever or chills, infections that are severe or keep coming back, and pain in your bones or joints. Others may include headaches, vomiting, seizures, weight loss, night sweats, shortness of breath, and swollen lymph nodes or organs like the spleen.
It was said that the governor whose second term tenure will expire in 2025 was unable to sign official documents due to his deteriorating health condition.
However, in a lastest development, Akeredolu’s family was set to fly him out of the country this weekend as his health had become critical.
It was also learnt that to prevent pictures of the governor’s emaciated looks from getting out, the family asked security agents and a few politicians around him to put off their mobile phones.
“Governor Akeredolu will be flown out of the country on Saturday for medical treatment after the SaharaReporters’ report. He is in a very critical condition. He was put in the wheelchair of his late mother and he seemed unconscious.
“All security agents and a few top politicians around were asked to put off their phones,” a source told SaharaReporters.
“His condition is very critical now, which is why he is being flown abroad. He is currently in Ibadan because that is where the family prefers to have him when his condition is critical because of the prying eyes and civil servants in Ondo.”
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party in Ondo state has raised concern over the secrecy in the health conditions of the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
It described the silence from the Governor’s camp and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State as concerning and alarming.
The state chairman of the party Stephen Adewale, in a statement in Akure, the state capital, said that his medical records needed not be shrouded in secrecy.
Adewale said in the statement that “In the past 24 hours, the rumour of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu’s poor health has dominated the media and spread like wildfire in Ondo State.
“While it is no longer news that Governor Akeredolu is dealing with health issues as this was made clear in the viral voice note that was released by Ondo State First Lady, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu Akeredolu, in recent weeks, the governor’s rumoured battle with blood cancer, his bedridden condition, and his inability to sign documents have taken centre stage.
“While the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ondo State had enthusiastically and eagerly anticipated that the Governor would refute such rumours by presenting himself to the public, the silence from the Governor’s camp and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State is concerning and alarming.
“To us at Ondo SDP, therefore, their silence and failure to deny or confirm the information implies consent.
“There are now serious doubts about Governor Akeredolu’s capacity to continue to govern the Sunshine State as his medical conditions remain shrouded in secrecy.
“It is quite disturbing that the state of the governor’s health has become a topic of state curiosity and concern.
” This situation continues to undermine the ability of the State government to fulfil its obligations and commitments, including those requiring the government to provide economic pathways to millions of people facing absolute poverty and uncertainty in the Sunshine State due to the reckless and insensitive removal of subsidy by the APC-led federal government.
“Ondo SDP call on Arakunrin to respect the good people of Ondo State who have voted for him twice by presenting his medical records to the general public.
“We strongly believe that the good people of Ondo State have the right to know about the medical conditions of Arakunrin Akeredolu.
“In contrast to ordinary residents who have the right to keep their health state to themselves, high-level elected officials like Arakunrin, whose treatment is being paid for by the public, cannot hide behind personal rules.
“Similarly, because Governor Akeredolu’s position is that of a trustee, he is required, as the governor of Ondo State, to inform the residents of Ondo State accurately about his present medical conditions.
“Ensuring full access to his medical data would also assist and prevent instances and situations where the governor’s health is the daily subject of speculative interpretations, embarrassing commentary, and incomplete, vague, and erroneous reports.
” Ironically, Ondo SDP recalled that Arakunrin Akeredolu was one of the primary figures who actively and vocally criticised and called for late President Umar Musa Yar’Adua’s resignation when the latter suffered poor health condition in 2009.
” Now, Arakunrin Akeredolu has done the exact opposite by clinging to power and hiding the true state of his health from people as he battles with ill health.
Adewale added that “While we pray for the speedy recovery of Mr Governor, it is high time he did the needful.
