Former Speaker of House of Representatives, Anakwe, is Dead

• Agunwa Anakwe, a former speaker of the house of representatives in the aborted Third Republic, is no more
• The top politician from Adazi in Anaocha local government area (LGA) of Anambra state died on Saturday, July 5
• While paying tribute to the late speaker, ex-Anambra state governor, Chris Ngige, described the deceased as “a close friend and trusted political ally”

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public affairs.

Awka, Anambra state - Agunwa Anakwe, former speaker of the house of representatives, is dead.

As reported on Monday, July 7, by The Cable, Anakwe died aged 68 on Saturday, July 5.

Anambra: Agunwa Anakwe's death

Law Mefor, commissioner for information in Anambra state, confirmed Anakwe's passing on Monday, July 7.

In the same vein, PM News also noted the development.

Although the cause of his death is unclear, the former speaker was said to have been nursing an ailment for some time.

Legit.ng reports that Anakwe led the third house of representatives at 36 under the interim civilian government of Ernest Shonekan in 1992 until General Sani Abacha seized power in 1993.

He reportedly opposed the agitation for the creation of more local governments at the time, which, though a legitimate aspiration, was pushed as a disguise to prolong the transition to democracy.

Ngige mourns Agunwa Anaekwe

Meanwhile, Chris Ngige, ex-Anambra governor and one-time minister of labour and employment, expressed shock and sadness over Anaekwe's demise. Ngige described his ally's exit as the uprooting of a big political iroko tree from the southeast region and Nigeria in general.

Ngige stated that the late Anaekwe was his friend and trusted political ally, "who aligned himself with progressive politics since he joined partisan politics in 1991".

Legit.ng reports that Anaekwe became the house of representatives speaker on December 5, 1992, and ended on November 17, 1993, when the administration was terminated by the General Sani Abacha military junta.

Ngige lauded Anaekwe for 'steering the house of representatives "with a lot of dexterity, wisdom, and patience" during his time in the green chamber of the national assembly.

Ngige said:

“He lost his seat when all the democratic structures were pulled down by Gen Abacha. He took the situation with equanimity but still joined us and the then former Anambra Governor, HE Chukwemeka Ezeife, in the fight for the restoration of democracy.”

The former governor concluded:

"His death has, therefore, created a very big void, difficult to fill because of the dearth of principled, accountable, and truthful persons in the murky, dirty waters of Nigerian politics.”

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Former Anambra Governor, Ezeife, dies

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Chukwuemeka Ezeife, the former governor of Anambra state, died aged 85.

The ex-Anambra governor died at the Federal Medical Centre in Abuja, the Nigerian capital city.

Aside from being a former governor, Ezeife was an ex-federal permanent secretary, political adviser to the president and a one-time presidential aspirant.

Source: Legit.ng