Senator Ewherido Dies, Jonathan, Mark, Others Mourn

SENATOR Pius Ewherido representing Delta Central Senatorial District on the platform of Democratic People's Party (DPP), died Sunday in Abuja.

His death came barely a year former Committee Chairman on Health, Senator Gyang D. Dantung representing Plateau North, was murdered in his state.

Tributes immediately followed Ewherido's passage from President Goodluck Jonathan, Delta State Government, Senate President David Mark among others.

Jonathan said: ''On behalf of himself and all members of the executive arm of the Federal Government l extend our heartfelt condolences to Senator Ewherido's family, the Senate President David Mark and all of the late Senator's colleagues in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.'

The President added that he also joined the government and people of the state in mourning the distinguished legislator who served commendably as a member and deputy speaker of the Delta House of Assembly before his election as a senator.

Mark, said he received the shocking news of Ewherido's death yesterday

In a statement signed by the Special Adviser, Media, to the President of the Senate, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, Mark described Ewherido as a forthright and vibrant parliamentarian and one of the foremost and hardworking senators in the 7th Senate.

He noted that Ewherido has within his short but eventful membership of the Senate, displayed patriotism, commitment and truly distinguished himself as a parliamentarian of a very high standard.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Enyinnaya H. Abaribe, said the entire upper House yesterday was devastated by Ewherido 's death.

A brief statement by the Abaribe read that Ewherido only took ill at the weekend and was unable to make it.

The Senate, Abaribe declared, 'is heartbroken and devastated over this unfortunate incidence'.

Also, the Delta State Government has commiserated with the senator's family, adding: 'We express our deep condolences to the family at this
trying moment.   Government advises Deltans, particularly members of his
Constituency to remain calm. We pray that God grants his family, constituents and all of us, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.'

And they may have fallen apart politically over the trajectory of the Delta State branch of the main opposition DPP in the run up to the 2015 election but in death a tearful Chief Tony Ezeagwu was full of praises for Ewherido whom he described as a faithful friend.

Subdued by the sudden death of Ewherido, a former Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Ezeagwu said Sunday that he was devastated by the death of the Senator who was recently suspended by the DPP over allegation of flirting with with the budding All Progressives Congress (APC).

Undeterred by the unconditional romance between the DPP at the national level with the APC, the Delta State branch of the party had resolved to maintain a splendid isolation from the merger effort while those romancing with the new party were warned that they risked expulsion.

At the national level, the party has since been admitted into the APC but the leadership of the party in Delta state where it has the largest followership across the country distanced itself from the action on the ground the merger conditions are clearly spelt out.

The Delta party Chairman said that he was on his way out the Delta State capital of Asaba when his mobile phone rang and was hit with the sad news.
He quickly made contacts to confirm it.

Ezeagwu said: 'It is a colossal loss. I didn't hear any news of his sickness only to be told that he had died. From what I gathered, he had a stroke three days ago and was rushed to the National Hospital Abuja. While preparations were in top gear to fly him abroad, he suddenly died.'

While the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Victor Ochei, a former colleague of the deceased Senator during his stint in Asaba as a state lawmaker said he was devastated by the news of Ewherido's death, former Senator Francis Spanner Okpozo was too shell-shocked to talk.

The Guardian