Former Speaker and a two-day governor in Ekiti State, Friday Aderemi, is dead.
Aderemi, an All Progressives Congress leader in the state, passed on at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti at age 74.
A native of Ayetoro Ekiti, Aderemi, who was elected in 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, represented Ido/Osi Constituency II at the Ekiti State House of Assembly.
He passed on after brief illness and his corpse has been deposited at the morgue of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.
The deceased was among those who fought for the reclamation of the Governor Kayode Fayemi’s stolen mandate from the Segun Oni-led administration.
Aderemi, an Electrical/Electronics engineer, became the Speaker, State House of Assembly in 2004 after the ouster of his predecessor, Sola Ajigbolamu, under the former Governor Ayodele Fayose-led government.
The deceased participated in the removal of Fayose and his former Deputy, Biodun Olujimi, on October 16, 2006 and was installed the Acting Governor on October 16 before the proclamation of the Emergency Rule by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on October 18, 2006.
Aderemi was until his death, Chairman of the Ekiti State Education Trust Fund.
Fayemi in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Olayinka Oyebode, said the late Aderemi served the state diligently in various capacities and contributed immensely to the development of the state.
The statement noted that Aderemi, as Speaker, presided over a historic state parliament that protected the interest of the people of the state during a trying period.
He said, “Aderemi’s death has robbed the state of a great leader who could be looked up to by younger generation in nation building, peacemaking, conflict management and building strong institutions that will stand the test of time.
“Aderemi is an uncommon statesman who served the people with humility, diligence, enthusiasm, selflessness and commitment to the cause of the common man.
“The history of Ekiti, as a political entity, would not be complete without a generous mention of Aderemi’s contributions as a teacher, legislator, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Acting Governor and lately as Chairman of the state’s Education trust Fund.
“Aderemi sat on the governorship seat for two days (between 16th and 18th October 2006) before a state of emergency was declared by the then Federal Government. The late politician acted in the best interest of Ekiti people”.