Senate Leadership Pays Respects to Fallen Colleague
In a solemn display of parliamentary solidarity, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, led a high-powered delegation of senators on Tuesday, November 26, 2025, to offer condolences to the bereaved family of Senator Okechukwu Ezea. The distinguished lawmaker, who represented the Enugu North Senatorial District in the 10th Senate, passed away on November 18, 2025.
A Chamber in Mourning
The upper legislative chamber demonstrated its collective grief by adjourning its Tuesday plenary session. This decisive action allowed senators to collectively travel to the Abuja residence of the late senator to pay their respects and stand in solidarity with his grieving family.
Words of Comfort from the Senate President
During his heartfelt address to the family members, Senator Akpabio emphasized that the purpose of the visit was to identify with them during this period of profound loss. "It is not always a very good experience to stay with a colleague for over two years, see each other daily, see him more than family members and then all of a sudden he vanishes just like that," Akpabio stated, capturing the shock felt across the Senate.
He assured the family that they were not alone in their sorrow, noting the large turnout of senators as a testament to the high esteem in which Senator Ezea was held. Akpabio eulogized his late colleague as "a man of peace" who interacted with his peers with immense dignity and respect.
The Senate President also expressed the collective shock of the legislative body, revealing that the late senator never showed any visible signs of illness while performing his duties in the chamber. "The news came suddenly that he has passed on," Akpabio remarked, highlighting the unexpected nature of the loss.
Family's Grateful Response
Responding on behalf of the Ezea family, Jideofor Ezea, the son of the deceased senator, expressed profound gratitude to Senate President Akpabio and the entire senatorial entourage for their visit. He acknowledged that the family would always remember this significant gesture of support during their most difficult time.
Jideofor specifically thanked the lawmakers for their words of encouragement and prayers, which he said provided immense comfort and solace to the entire family as they navigate this period of mourning.
