Imo Lawmaker, Egwim, Dies

One of the ranking lawmakers at the Imo State House of Assembly Hon Arthur Egwim is dead.

The lawmaker who hailed from the Orlu zone of the state died yesterday.

He was first elected into the state House of Assembly in 2015 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was reelected in 2019 with the Action Alliance (AA).

The late lawmaker contested for the House of Representatives seat in the just concluded national Assembly elections under the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and lost.

Sources indicated that he fell ill recently and underwent surgery but died afterwards.

A lawyer by profession, the deceased was a vocal voice in the eighth and ninth assemblies of the state.

Hon Egwim was supposed to hand over to a lawmaker- elected from his constituency in June this year.

The source who spoke in confidence with newsmen stressed that the lawmaker died of cancer related ailment.

The source said, “They just broke the bad news to us this afternoon. He was flown abroad but he couldn’t make it.  Money wasn’t the problem, the state government greatly assisted him to travel abroad for his medicals, it is very sad.”

The family and the state House of Assembly was yet to issue any statement in respect of the demise of the lawmaker.

Meanwhile, the speaker of the assembly, Hon Emeka Nduka, has confirmed the death of Egwim, who represented Ideato North local government area.

Hon Nduka said the legislature was saddened by the demise of Egwim.

In a statement he signed yesterday in Owerri, the state capital, Nduka described the late lawmaker as one of the best brains in the parliament.

He described Hon Egwim as a ranking parliamentarian of note and a strong voice in the state Assembly and revealed that he died after a brief illness.