KUNLE OLUTAYO
The Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Honourable Funminiyi Afuye, has died.
The 66-year-old Ikere constituency 1 representative in the Ekiti House passed away on Wednesday.
It was learnt that he died at the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital, in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
According to reports, Afuye was rushed to the hospital in the early hours of Wednesday, a development that made the Deputy Speaker, Hakeem Jamiu, to superintend over the House plenary where a Commissioner and 10 special advisers were confirmed same day.
On Tuesday, the late Speaker attended the Thanksgiving Service for Governor Biodun Oyebanji who just assumed office.
Many observers had thought that his absence at the plenary on Wednesday was not curious, as one of his children was billed to be married on Saturday, a development they thought would make his absence at plenary excusable.
He was a staunch pillar of the government of former Governor Kayode Fayemi and he held the forte until power transited to Governor Oyebanji.
A source in the state House of Assembly confided that Afuye’s daughter just arrived from the United States of America (USA) for her wedding in Nigeria next Saturday.
“We just took his remains to the mortuary this evening. He is dead. He had a health issue at a time no one was around in the house to help him.
“Unfortunately, his daughter just came in from USA for her wedding billed for Saturday. It is sad,” the source said.
