How Adeleke died, by aide; burial postponed as Buhari, Atiku, Tinubu, Fayemi, Ooni, Oyinlola, Ekweremadu mourn

The burial of Senator Isiaka Adeleke, which  was earlier scheduled for 4pm on Sunday, has been postponed.
Adeleke, a former civilian governor of Osun State, died in the earlier hours of Sunday at Biket  Hospital, Osogbo.
Adeleke’s corpse,  which was brought to his residence in Ede at 1:10 pm in preparation for the Islamic burial rites,  was returned back to Ladoke Akintola Hospital in Osogbo for autopsy.
The younger brother of the late politician,  Deji,  ordered for autopsy  to be carried out to ascertain  the cause of  death.
Deji was also said to have  directed  that the burial ceremony be postponed till Monday.
Friends and sympathisers,  who were waiting for the burial ceremony, were told  around 5:30 pm that  the event  had  been postponed.
A  family source said the burial had  been fixed for 10 am on Monday,  pending the outcome of the autopsy.
Giving a picture of the developments leading to the demise of the late flamboyant politician, one of  the  domestic staff said that   Adeleke had attended  a meeting till around 2 am on Sunday before he went to bed.
The staff, who spoke on condition of anonymity,  said Adeleke also  attended burial and wedding ceremonies in Kuta and Iwo  on Saturday.
The source further explained that early in the morning on  Sunday, Adeleke complained of leg pain and his private doctor was called in to attend to him.
According to the staff, the doctor gave him an injection and he left, only to be called back after the senator complained of stomach ache.
“He was later rushed to Biket  Hospital where he was finally confirmed dead,’’  the source said.
The news of the death had resulted  in violent protests by  youths  in Ede, with many of them barricading  the ever busy Osogbo-Ibadan road and setting  bonfires which   disrupted  the free flow of traffic.
It took the combined efforts of both the regular and mobile police force to disperse  the irate  youths.
The state Police Commissioner, Mr Fimihan Adeoye, who said normalcy had been restored in the area, urged  the youths to refrain from violence
As at the time of filing this report, two armoured personnel carriers  were stationed at the road leading to Adeleke’s house in Ede while one was stationed directly opposite his residence.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with Osun State Government and the National Assembly on the passing away of Adeleke.
Buhari in a condolence message by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Sunday, described the late lawmaker as “the gentle and kind-hearted former Governor of Osun’’.
He said that Adeleke had passionately and relentlessly championed the cause of the less-privileged and most vulnerable in Nigeria.
According to him, the sudden loss of the legislator will create a gap in the hallowed red chamber as Adeleke had always epitomized unbridled patriotism, maturity and experience, especially with his recent interest in whistleblower’s protection.
The president affirmed that Adeleke’s contribution to his state as first elected governor, and the country, would always be remembered by posterity.
He prayed that the almighty God would grant the soul of the departed eternal rest, and comfort the family.
Adeleke was born in Enugu on January 15, 1955 to the family of Senator Ayoola Adeleke and Esther Adeleke.
He started his primary education at Christ Church School, Enugu, before moving to Ibadan. He had his secondary education at Ogbomoso Grammar School and later went to the United States for his university education.
He was Chairman, Governing Council, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, University of Calabar.
Former Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, also mourned Adeleke.
A statement by his media office in Abuja on Sunday quoted the former Vice President as expressing shock at the demise of the two-time Osun senator.
The statement reads: “The Turakin Adamawa describes Adeleke as a cosmopolitan politician, who had a good grasp of the dynamics of Nigeria having spent his early years in Enugu until the onset of the Nigerian Civil War before relocating to Ibadan to complete his secondary education.
“Atiku Abubakar notes Adeleke’s commitment to education having instituted a scholarship award for about 100 indigent students in tertiary institutions across the country, among other humanitarian interventions.
“The former Vice President expresses his deepest condolences to the Adeleke family, his people of Ede and the government and people of the State of Osun over the loss of their illustrious son.
“Atiku also condoles with the National Assembly in particular the Senate and the All Progressives Congress in Osun State.
“He prays for the repose of his soul and strength and comfort to the family, friends and associates to bear the loss”.
Former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, described Adeleke as a grassroots politician with rich political background.
The APC National Leader, in a condolence message on Sunday in Lagos, said that the leadership and good counsel of Adeleke were still very much required when death came.
“I received the news of Senator Isiaka Adeleke’s death with shock.
“It was too much to bear coming barely a day after that of Dipo Famakinwa. The news of his death was both sudden and saddening for me and I am sure for most members of our political family.
“Sen. Adeleke was a grassroots politician with a rich political back ground. He was hugely popular in his Osun , particularly in the three local governments in Ede, his hometown.
“He was a major leader of our party, the APC. His leadership and good counsel were still very much required when death came.
“The late senator and I shared mutual respect and affection. My path and his first crossed during the aborted Third Republic, in the 1992/93 era, when we both belonged to the defunct Social Democratic Party.
“He was in the Peoples Democratic Party at the rebirth of democratic dispensation in 1999, but he later joined us in the APC in the build-up to the 2015 election, ” he said.
According to Tinubu, he left behind a legacy in the area of education by establishing Ire Polytechnic and College of Education, Esa-Oke, among other laudable things during his time.
“Adeleke was with us in Lagos during the colloquium marking my 65th birthday. He also joined us for the inauguration of Aboru-Abesan Link Bridge and adjoining roads constructed by Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode.
”I commiserate with his wife and children. I commiserate with the entire Adeleke family and his friends and numerous supporters.
”My heart also goes out to his brother, Dr Deji Adeleke. I mourn with Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the people of Osun over this unfortunate occurrence.
”I pray that they all have the strength to withstand this loss. I also pray for the repose of Adeleke’s soul, ” Tinubu said.
The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, also commiserated with the family of Adeleke.
Fayemi, in a condolence message by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr Yinka Oyebode, described the news of the death of the former governor as shocking and saddening.
Fayemi described the late Adeleke as a highly resourceful and colourful politician; a grassroots mobiliser who related well with both the low and the mighty.
“Senator Adeleke’s death is both shocking and saddening. He was a leader who was well loved and respected by his people, because he was ever in touch with them and identified with their aspirations, Fayemi said.
 “In spite of his privileged background, Adeleke made the masses the focus of his political activities, through which he earned their admiration and massive support. Through this he taught a lesson in political tolerance and in putting the people first.
“Nigeria has indeed lost a star, a committed patriot and strategic team player in the Nigerian project.
“Only God knows why he had to go at this time and we can only submit to God’s will and appreciate him for the good life Senator Adeleke lived, even as we pray that God grants his soul eternal rest and his family, the fortitude to bear the loss.”, the statement added.
Deputy Senate President,  Ike Ekweremadu, expressed shock over the death, likening it to a “rainstorm at the height of dry season.’’
Ekweremadu, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Uche Anichukwu on Sunday, said the lawmaker’s death was really a sad development, adding that the deceased was a brother and friend.
“He was cosmopolitan in nature and started his education in Enugu, my state.
“This nature showed in his broadminded approach to debates and national issues, which stood him out as a statesman and pan-Nigerian.
“With him as Chairman of Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I found a willing partner, as Chairman of Senate Committee on Review of 1999 Constitution in the 6th Senate.
“We worked in our collective effort to better the nation’s electoral system.
“He will be remembered for the gains of those reforms as witnessed in the 2011 and 2015 general elections,’’ he said.
Ekweremadu, who described the deceased as a perfect gentleman and patriot, noted that the incident was a grave loss, not only to the Senate and people of Osun State, but the entire nation.
He condoled with the family of the late senator as well as the government and people of Osun.
He also prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of the departed.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi,  described the death as a rude shock.
A statement by  Mr Moses Olafare,  a media aide to the monarch, said Adeleke’s sudden death was a great loss to the state and the country at large.
A former governor in the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in a statement  in Osogbo, also described Adeleke’s death  as a monumental loss.
Oyinlola,  who said he was on his way to Osogbo from Lagos when the news was broken to him, said  he was still in shock.
He described Adeleke as a brother, friend and confidant whose demise had made him, the state and the political class in Nigeria poorer.
Oyinlola prayed God to grant his soul eternal peace.