Nigeria could be better with likes of late Ezea, says Obi
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Tuesday, said the National Assembly was struggling to come to terms with a wave of deaths that has hit the legislature in the last two years, describing the period as “tumultuous” and deeply unsettling for lawmakers.

Akpabio spoke at a Night of Tributes held in honour of the late Senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District, Okechukwu Ezea, at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja, where senators, political leaders, and family members gathered to mourn the fallen lawmaker.

Leading tributes on behalf of the 10th Senate, Akpabio said the repeated loss of senators in quick succession had left the institution inconsolable.

“For the Senate, we cannot be consoled,” he said. “The last two years have been very tumultuous for us. We lost three senators in quick succession.”

Akpabio recalled the sudden death of Ifeanyi Ubah in the United Kingdom (UK), describing it as one of the most shocking moments for the Red Chamber.

“We lost a very eminent Senator, Ifeanyi Ubah, in the United Kingdom. He wasn’t sick. He travelled to London and even did a live stream while his children were seated at the airports in London,” Akpabio said. “Then the next day, his wife called to announce his demise.”

According to the Senate President, the incident underscored the fragility of life and the limits of political power.

Akpabio described Senator Ezea’s death as another painful blow to the legislature, noting that no one seeks election into the Senate with the expectation of dying in office.

MEANWHILE, former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, on Tuesday, said Nigeria could be a better country if even a small fraction of its political leaders lived with the integrity and consistency exemplified by the late Senator Okechukwu Ezea.

Obi made the remark while speaking at the Night of Tributes held in honour of the late senator, whom he described as a rare beacon of integrity and commitment in Nigeria’s troubled political landscape.

“If even five per cent of Nigerian politicians lived the way Okechukwu Ezea lived, this country would be a better place,” Obi said, drawing quiet reflection from the audience. “Unfortunately, men like him are rare, and when they leave, the loss is deeply felt.”

Addressing the family of the late lawmaker, Obi said it was difficult to speak about a life defined by such moral clarity, but stressed that Ezea lived deliberately and purposefully.

He said:  “Your father lived a good life – an honest, principled, and consistent life. In a country where politics is too often driven by ambition rather than integrity, he stood apart. He represented the very best of what leadership ought to be.”