Idowu Korede, a former Commissioner for Environment and Sanitation in Osun State, is dead.
Korede died in Lagos on Saturday night, a few hours to the new year, from an illness.
The sources said Mr Korede had been battling the undisclosed illness for some time.
The late politician hailed from Ilesa East Local Government Area of the state and served as commissioner during the second term of former governor and now Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
Mr Korede had also served chairman of Ilesa East Local Government.
He was a prominent member of The Osun Progressives (TOP), a group in the All Progressives Congress in Osun loyal to Aregbesola.
The group had a running battle with Mr Aregbesola’s successor, Gboyega Oyetola, until the party lost the governorship election in the state last year.
The internal crisis in the APC was considered one of the factors that doomed the re-election bid of Mr Oyetola.
Timothy Owoeye, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, who is also a member of the APC, confirmed Mr Korede’s passing.
Mr Owoeye commiserated with the deceased’s family, the people of Ilesa and members of the APC.
The speaker in a statement by his Media Aide, Kunle Alabi, described the death as “a big blow to the progressive family in the state.”
“The death of Korede Idowu is a big loss to Ilesa, Osun, as well as the entire progressive family. Idowu’s contributions to the growth of Ilesa and Osun will be missed,” he said.