The Deputy Governorship candidate of the Accord Party in Oyo State and running mate to the former governor, Senator RashidiLadoja, in the 2011 election in the state, Mr Sunday Alalade, has died.
The 56-year old Alalade died on Thursday night at his house in Ogbomosho, Oyo State after a protracted illness. He was said to have fallen ill shortly after the 2011 elections.
He was a grassroots politician, having started his political career as a supervisory councillor and later chairman of Oriire Local Government Area of the state before he was appointed commissioner and chairman, Local Government Service Commission during the administration of Senator Ladoja.
Ladoja, while reacting to the death, described Alalade as “a deeply loyal friend and political associate, and someone who had a firm belief in service to the people.”
He said this while speaking with newsmen at the Accord Party secretariat before leaving for the Ogbomoso home of the deceased
“During our days in the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), I nominated the late Alalade to one of the reconciliation committees set up by the party alongside four others. I want to tell you that he was the only one that remained out of the five nominees and came into Accord with me and stayed. What this meant was that he believed in what I believe in, which is service to the people of Oyo State,” Ladoja said.
Stressing that the political sagacity of the late chieftain would be missed by the Accord Party, Ladoja, who prayed to God to give the deceased’s family the strength to bear the loss, asked God to grant him sweet repose.