The Nigerian Senate has refuted reports claiming that it abandoned the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who represented Anambra South Senatorial District in the 9th and 10th Senate.
Ubah, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), passed away on July 26, 2024.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Senator Yemi Adaramodu, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, the Senate dismissed as false recent claims that it neglected its late colleague’s burial arrangements.
The statement clarified that the Senate had honored Ubah properly and according to protocol.
“The Nigerian Senate has described as untrue the recent news circulating about the Senate’s failure to participate in the burial of our late colleague, Ifeanyi Ubah,” it read.
The Senate emphasized that a historic tribute session was dedicated to Ubah, marking the first time in the National Assembly’s history that a full legislative day was set aside to honor a departed member.
Ubah’s seat was draped with the national flag, a gesture of respect for his contributions to the Senate and to his constituency.
Further addressing the allegations, the statement outlined the Senate’s actions following Ubah’s death.
Upon hearing the news, the Senate immediately extended condolences to Ubah’s family and the people of Anambra State.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio led a delegation of principal officers and members to the Lagos home of the late senator to personally express their sympathies to his widow and children.
Almost 100 Senators attended a valedictory session in Ubah’s honor, during which tributes were paid to his legacy as a philanthropist, businessman, and politician.
Additionally, a significant number of Senators were present in Nnewi for the funeral, representing the Senate at the burial.
The Senate statement called the media’s portrayal of its actions as an “abandonment” as misguided, stating that the expectation that Senators should have flooded Nnewi in a public display of mourning was unreasonable.
“It is absurd that anyone would suggest that the Senate failed to honor Senator Ifeanyi Ubah,” the statement concluded.
