The Ondo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has backed the call for the probe of the death of one of the party’s governorship aspirants, Dr Paul Akintelure.
Akintelure died on March 19 in Lagos following a brief illness. He was aged 61.
A few days before his death, the governorship aspirant had, in a statement issued through his media aide, Olalekan Akintelure, alleged a threat to his life. He, however, said he would not succumb to any form of intimidation in his governorship quest.
“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, for us to embrace peace, progress, and unity. Our collective strength lies in us to stand together as one, regardless of our differences,” Akintelure had said.
Following his sudden death, party elders, under the auspices of the Ondo APC Aborigines, called on the state governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, to investigate Akintelure’s death, considering his allegation of threat to life.
The group’s chairman, Sola Iji, a former Ambassador to Togo, said, “A few days back he spoke out about the threat to his life. If he so expressed that threat, even though we do not know the details, we call on the governor to unravel whatever mystery is surrounding his death.
“It is part of the responsibility of government to protect lives and property.”
Corroborating the elders’ position, the Ondo State APC, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Alex Kalejaiye, said there was a need for investigation to clear all insinuations about the matter
“There is nothing wrong in investigating the cause of Dr. Akintelure’s death. The people of Ondo State, his political associates, and all concerned citizens deserve to know.
“There are insinuations all over the place. It is only a thorough investigation that can lay to rest dangerous speculations. The party has no objections to the call for an investigation into the unfortunate development, “ Kalejaiye stated.