The health challenges of the former Minister, it was learnt, was consequent upon a dip in his political fortunes in the build-up to the gubernatorial election in his home state, Kwara.
Before the political powers-that-be in Kwara Sttate stopped him in tracks, as he bid to be Governor in the 2011 general elections, Bio’s political profile had soared in the state, and at the Federal level.
Bio, 56, was appointed by late President Umaru Yar’Adua as Nigeria’s Minister of Transport on December 17, 2008, taking over from incumbent Petroleum Resources Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.
Bio had been appointed Federal Ministry of Sports on April 6, 2010, by then Acting President Goodluck Jonathan.
An acolyte of then undisputed political kingmaker in old and new Kwara State, now late, Dr. Olusola Saraki, Senate Leader of the Second Republic, Bio was Kwara State Commissioner for Health from 1990 to 1992.
He also served as Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly before his appointment as a Federal Minister in 2008.
In the build-up to the Kwara State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primary election in December 2010, Bio had, on the prodding of Saraki, resigned from his Ministerial job, having been reportedly assured of the party’s gubernatorial ticket.
He was, however, dumped by the Saraki dynasty in favour of Alhaji Abdulafatah Ahmed, who was later elected the State Governor.
Sources explained that the decision to dump him dealt a mortal blow to Bio’s psyche, and he subsequently developed physiological complications that led to the stroke condition which he is battling.
Copyright Ships & Ports Ltd. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit given to www.shipsandports.com.ng as the source.