The Senate was in mourning on Wednesday over the death of Senator Okey Ezea.
The lawmaker, who represented Enugu-North Senatorial District, died at around 11:07 pm at a private hospital in Lagos on November 18, according to a family statement issued by his son, Jideofor Ezea, on Wednesday.
Senate Vice President Barau Jibrin, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and Labor Party (LP) Acting National Chairman Senator Nenadi Usman on Wednesday mourned the lawmaker in separate messages.
In a condolence message from his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, Senator Jibrin said 63-year-old Ezea, who until his death was vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa and NEPAD, and the Senate Committee on Culture and Creative Economy, made an impactful contribution to promoting unity and progress in the country.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with my friend’s immediate family, his wife, Mrs. Chioma, his children, all the people of Enugu North Senatorial District and Enugu State in general.
“May God grant you the strength to bear this irreparable loss. Senator Okey Ezea was a quintessential patriotic Nigerian, who worked hard to improve the standard of living of the people of Enugu North Senatorial District and beyond,” Jibrin said.
For his part, Kalu expressed his condolences to the immediate family of the deceased, the leaders of the 10th Senate and the people of Enugu-North Senatorial District over the loss of Ezea.
“As I mourn the death of my dear brother, I take comfort in knowing that he lived honorably and touched countless lives,” Kalu said.
Also in her condolence message, Nenadi Usman praised the late senator for standing firm in his conviction to remain in the Labor Party until his death despite being under pressure to defect to another platform.
Usman admitted that he received the news of Ezea’s death with a “gross shock” and described the late legislator as a dedicated public servant who offered his constituents “quality and determined representation.”
He added that Ezea’s patriotism was evident in the number of bills the deceased sponsored and the motions he presented in his contribution to the task of nation building.
Usman equally highlighted Ezea’s unwavering loyalty to the LP, adding that “despite political pressures, he remained committed to the platform on which he was elected and until his demise, he was the party’s sole representative from Enugu State in the National Assembly.”
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