Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has called on the Senate to support the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah’s widow in succeeding him as the representative for Anambra South Senatorial District.
Ndume made the appeal on Tuesday during a valedictory session held in honor of the late Ubah, who passed away at the age of 52 in a London hospital in July after a brief illness. Before his death, Ubah had defected from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and expressed interest in contesting the 2025 Anambra governorship election.
He also served as the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream. Following his demise, Kano South Senator Kawu Sumaila was appointed to chair the committee.
During the session, Ndume highlighted precedents where relatives, particularly widows, succeeded deceased senators, citing examples such as Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, Abiru Yar’Adua, and First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who benefitted from the legacies of their family members. He urged the Senate to extend this consideration to Ubah’s widow to preserve and continue the late senator’s legacies.
“It happened before. Chuba Okadigbo was a great politician when he died, years after, his wife, the widow Margery, was sitting around here.
Mr Ndume, therefore, appealed to his colleagues to support Mr Ubah’s wife in getting her late husband’s seat.
“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 chamber when election of Anambra of the senatorial district that he represents,” he said.
“What I want to appeal to you, Mr President, is, let us keep his spirit, aspirations of Ifeanyi alive,” Mr Ndume added
