Senator Uche Ekwunife announces the demise of 63-year-old Okonkwo; a former lawmaker who represented Anambra Central Senatorial District in the 6th Assembly on the floor of the Ninth Senate on Thursday.
A former member of the National Assembly, Senator Clement Annie Okonkwo, has passed on.
The demise of the former lawmaker who represented Anambra Central Senatorial District in the 6th Assembly was announced on the floor of the Ninth Senate on Thursday by Senator Uche Ekwunife, the incumbent lawmaker for the District.
Although there is no authoritative information on the cause of his death, the 63-year-old politician is reported to have battled cancer for months leading to his demise on Wednesday, 7th June 2023.
Born on 23 May 1960, the native of Iruebenebe village, Ojoto in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, was elected on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) to the Red Chamber between 2007 and 2011. Okonkwo at the Red Chamber served as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and member of the Senate Committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), Police Affairs, as well as Agriculture.
He was thereafter succeeded by Dr Chris Ngige, a former Governor of Anambra State and immediate past Minister of Labour and Employment. Okonkwo in his lifetime ran for the governorship of his home state and also defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) later.
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Reacting to the death of the lawmaker, the President of the outgoing Senate, Ahmad Lawan, described the late lawmaker as a team player and a very cheerful person.
“Let me on behalf of the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, commiserate with the family of our late colleague. I served with Senator Annie Okonkwo in the Sixth Senate. I knew him very well. He was a complete gentleman, team player, very cheerful person and very nice, and of course, once a senator, always a Senator. We pray to Almighty God for the repose of his soul.”
A serial entrepreneur interested in oil and gas, telecommunications, commodity trading, real estate development, manufacturing and general commerce, Senator Okonkwo obtained an Advanced Diploma in Marketing and an Advanced Diploma in Commercial Law and Practice from the University of Lagos. The Agunaechemba I of Ojoto traditional title holder was reported to have celebrated his 63rd birthday on May 23, 2023.
His son, Uchenna Harris Okonkwo, ran in the February 25 2023 National Assembly Elections on the Labour Party (LP) platform and won the Idemili North and South Federal Constituency of Anambra State seat in the House of Representatives.
