The Senate, led by President Godswill Akpabio, has come under criticism for reportedly neglecting the family of the late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, who represented Anambra South Senatorial District.
According to sources speaking with SaharaReporters, the Senate leadership failed to organize a committee to coordinate with the Ubah family or the national burial committee in preparing for his funeral. This absence of coordination, they say, reflects a lack of support for the family and the burial arrangements for their former colleague.
Ubah, who was re-elected to the 10th Senate in 2023 under the Young Progressives Party (YPP) before joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), passed away in London on July 27. His funeral took place in his hometown of Otolo Nnewi, Anambra State, on Friday, with notable attendees, including Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu of Abia North, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and Senator Victor Umeh representing Anambra Central.
However, sources disclosed that only nine senators attended the burial, and just two of these were from outside the South-East region. “Despite the public display of respect by the Senate President during a Senate valedictory session on November 19, the Senate leadership ultimately failed to engage with the family or burial committee to honor their fallen colleague,” one source commented. The source alleged that the Senate leadership neither contributed financially to the burial arrangements nor sent an official delegation to attend the burial on November 22, 2024.
The limited attendance included Senators Enyinnaya Abaribe, Osita Ngwu (a close associate of Ubah whose wife is from Otolo Nnewi), Izunaso, Okey Ezea, Victor Umeh, Benson Agadaga, Tony Nwoye, Pam from Plateau, and Kelvin Chukwu. It was noted that the vast majority were South-East senators, with only Senators Pam and Agadaga representing regions outside the South-East.
According to another source, no senator from the Yoruba-dominated South-West or the North-West and North-East regions attended. The South-South and North-Central had one representative each.
“The greatest mark of respect is to attend a departed friend’s burial, especially the funeral Mass or church service,” a source said. “What the Senate leadership did by not showing up reflects poorly on them and gives the impression of shallow, fair-weather friendships.”
A family source further confirmed that the Senate leadership did not offer financial contributions. During the funeral Mass, no senator spoke on behalf of the Nigerian Senate, as tradition would normally require. Additionally, the Senate President’s wife, who heads the Senators’ Wives Forum, did not send a delegation or a condolence message to Ubah’s widow, Mrs. Uche Ubah.
Senator Ifeanyi Ubah’s death, which occurred in July while he was in London, was marked by a valedictory session in the Senate chamber earlier that week. Efforts by SaharaReporters to reach the Senate leadership for comment remained unanswered at the time of this report.
