Borno South Senator, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has called on the Senate to support the widow of late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah to replace him as the representative of Anambra South Senatorial District in the 10th Senate.
Ndume made the appeal on Tuesday during the valedictory session held in honour of Ubah, who passed away in July at the age of 52 in the United Kingdom.
Until his death, Ubah was a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream). He had defected to the APC from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in October 2023 and declared his intention to contest the forthcoming 2025 Anambra State governorship election.
Speaking during the session, Ndume urged the upper legislative chamber to ensure that Ubah’s wife succeeded him in the Senate to continue his work and preserve his legacy.
“It happened before,” Ndume said, citing several instances where widows or relatives of deceased politicians succeeded them in political office.
“Chuba Okadigbo was a great politician. When he died, years after, his wife, the widow Margery. Sitting around here, our First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, came to the Senate by the virtue of the people of Lagos and her husband, who is the president and served two terms. They insisted that she should go for a third term. In fact, she told me that her dream was to be a Pastor,” he said.
Ndume further referenced other Senators who came into office through family legacies, including Senator Tokunbo Abiru, whose father served in 1979, and Katsina Central Senator Yar’Adua, whose family had a history in Nigerian politics.
“Senator (Iyabo) Obasanjo, if you remember, is the daughter of General Obasanjo. Sitting in front of me is Dafinone, his father, was a great Senator,” he said.
He appealed to his colleagues to extend similar consideration to Ubah’s widow.
“Finally, Mr. President, my appeal to you and distinguished colleagues: his wife, fortunately, is 50 years or so, a wonderful wife. Let us support the family to have a spirit representative of Ifeanyi here in the chambe,” Ndume said.
He emphasised the importance of preserving Ubah’s legacy. “What I want to appeal to you, Mr. President, is let us keep his spirit, aspirations of Ifeanyi alive,” he added.
In Nigeria, Senators are elected according to Section 65 of the Constitution. Aspiring Senators must be nominated by a political party, contest in elections organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and emerge victorious before being inaugurated as lawmakers.
Senator Ubah is survived by his widow, children and other family members.
LEADERSHIP reports that Ubah’s Senate seat remained vacant for now with Kano South Senator Kawu Sumaila temporarily filling his role as chairman of the Senate Petroleum Resources (Downstream) Committee.
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