The Nigerian political arena has been thrown in a mourning mood as a former presidential candidate passes away.
File photo used only for illustrative purpose
Pere Ajunwa, the presidential candidate for the Liberal Democratic
Party of Nigeria (LDPN) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in the 2003
and 2007 presidential elections, has died, SaharaReporters reports.
This was confirmed to reporters in Yenagoa on Monday in a statement
issued by Danile Markson-Iworiso, the Chief Press Secretary to the
Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.
He described Mr. Ajunwa’s death as an untimely, sad, shocking and a
monumental loss to the Government and people of Bayelsa State.
In a condolence message to the family of Mr. Ajunwa, Governor
Dickson also described the death of Chief Ajunwa as a great and painful
loss to the Ijaw Nation and the political landscape of Nigeria.
He recalled Chief Ajunwa’s forays into politics, which saw him
contest for the governorship of the old Rivers State and later for the
presidency, making him one of the very few minorities of the Ijaw stock
to run for the highest office in the land.
According to him, the efforts of Mr. Ajunwa, who was the Egbesu of
Egbesubiri, greatly inspired the younger generation of Ijaw politicians
and gave greater insight and meaning to why we should legitimately fight
for what rightly belonged to us, without resorting to violence.
The governor also recalled how Chief Ajunwa supported every genuine
effort of the Ijaw people to be properly recognized and be accorded
their pride of place politically, economically, and in other areas of
human endeavour by using his personal resources to fight for the
political and economic emancipation of the minorities of the
South-South, especially his tribesmen and women, who had suffered years
of neglect and deprivation.
The Governor’s statement added that, even though Chief Ajunwa is
dead, his worthy legacies and strides as an Ijaw patriot and a fighter
for the rights of the minorities of this country would live long after
him.
Governor Dickson prayed for the peaceful repose of his soul and for
God Almighty to grant the family he has left behind, the strength,
courage and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
It would be recalled that the Nigeria's opposition AD in 2007
picked Ajunwa as its new presidential candidate following the death of
candidate Adebayo Adefarati at the age of 76.
Ajunwa was picked at a special convention of the party in Abuja,
and his name forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) for the 21 April presidential election.
Before his emergence on the platform of the AD, Chief Ajunwa had
grudgingly stepped down alongside Bukar Abba Ibrahim for Nigeria’s
current leader, President Muhammadu Buhari, to clinch the All Nigerian
Peoples Party ticket for the 2007 presidential contest.
No comments:
Post a Comment