Former Governor of Kwara State and respected pro-democracy activist, Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo, has passed away at the age of 84.
Family sources confirmed that the elder statesman died early Wednesday in Abuja.
Born on February 24, 1941, in Igbaja, Kwara State, Adebayo was a key figure in Nigeria’s political and democratic history. He served as governor of Kwara State briefly in 1983 and had earlier been elected senator in 1979 under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
Adebayo also held the position of Minister of Communications from 2003 to 2006 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
He was a frontline member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the group that strongly opposed military rule and fought for the validation of the June 12, 1993, presidential election won by Chief MKO Abiola.
In 1993, he turned down an offer to serve under General Sani Abacha’s regime. His refusal and ongoing opposition activities led to his arrest and later exile in Canada in 1996, following a bomb explosion incident for which he was questioned by the police.
Earlier in his career, Adebayo was Kwara State Commissioner for Education from 1975 to 1978.
Tributes have begun pouring in for the late political icon, with many describing him as a fearless leader and true patriot who dedicated his life to Nigeria’s democracy.
