Tears As Atiku's Longtime Ally Dies, Former Vice President Releases Heartfelt Statement
- Ifeanyi Izeze, a Niger Delta figure who served former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for two decades, is dead
- Izeze is an ordained preacher in the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) as well as a member of Pastor Chris Oyakhilome's Christ Embassy
- Atiku released a signed statement on Sunday, March 15, 2026, where he paid tributes to his late longtime ally
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja - The Atiku Media Office has announced the loss of one of its prominent and pioneer member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Atiku Abubakar’s media team, Ifeanyi Izeze.
Legit.ng reports that Ifeanyi Izeze joined the media team of the then Vice President Atiku Abubakar in 2006, from Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON), Ikot-Abasi, as the office manager, according to a statement on Sunday afternoon, March 15, signed by the former vice president's media office.
Source: Twitter
Atiku's media office said the late Izeze brought to bear on the work of the media team at that critical stage of the 79-year-old’s political career, his wealth of experience in the media, the Niger Delta and Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
Legit.ng gathered that details about his burial will be made public by his family.
Late Ifeanyi Izeze's profile
Ifeanyi trained as a geologist at the University of Port Harcourt up to postgraduate level, but carved a niche in journalism where he reported and wrote extensively on the oil and gas industry in Nigeria for many years in the defunct Sunray, Anchor, and NewAge newspapers, among others, before joining ALSCON.
In the Atiku media office, Ifeanyi was a senior member of the team and the campaign's pioneer office manager, 'who helped shape the campaign policies of the Atiku presidential campaign in the Niger Delta, particularly in the oil and gas sectors.'
He left behind children, grandchildren and an elder and only surviving brother, Pastor Emeka Izeze of the Guardian Newspapers fame.
Atiku said:
"A man with a prodigious sense of humour and a born-again Christian of the Christ Embassy denomination, Ifeanyi was an ordained preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.
"May God give his family, friends, and colleagues the fortitude to bear his demise."
Source: Twitter
Atiku’s full statement can be read below via X, accompanied by a photo of the deceased:
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Atiku mourns Muhammadu Buhari
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Atiku mourned the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died in London, describing it as "a profound national tragedy".
Atiku expressed deep emotions in a statement on his X account, penning a heartfelt tribute to the late President Buhari, as he sympathised with the family and the nation.
The Adamawa-born politician extolled Buhari's legacy, characterising him as a statesman who led the nation through turbulent and triumphant times.
Source: Legit.ng
