Former Kwara Governor and Pro-Democracy Icon Cornelius Adebayo Dies at 83

Family sources have confirmed that former Kwara State Governor and prominent pro-democracy advocate, Cornelius Olatunji Adebayo, passed away in the early hours of Wednesday in Abuja.

Born on February 24, 1941, in Igbaja, Kwara State, Adebayo was a towering figure in Nigeria’s political history, playing a pivotal role in the country’s democratic struggles.

He served as Governor of Kwara State in 1983 and was earlier elected a Senator in 1979 under the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). Between 2003 and 2006, he served as Nigeria’s Minister of Communications under President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Adebayo was also a key member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the opposition movement that fought to restore the annulled June 12, 1993, presidential election won by Chief Moshood Abiola.

In 1993, he famously rejected an offer to serve in General Sani Abacha’s military regime. Following a 1995 bomb explosion, he was arrested over alleged links to opposition activities and later went into exile in Canada in 1996.

Before his rise to national prominence, Adebayo served as Kwara State Commissioner for Education from 1975 to 1978. He is remembered for his integrity, courage, and unwavering commitment to democracy in Nigeria.