Ekwueme was a stabilising factor – Ibori

Former Governor of Delta state, Chief James Ibori, described the death of Dr. AlexEkwueme as most shocking noting that Ekwueme was the stabilizing factor in Nigeria’s politics.
“Dr. Alex Ekwueme was a great leader, a national father-figure, a stabilizing factor in Nigerian politics, I, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, can never stop asking “what if”!
In a statement signed by his Media Assitant, Tony Eluemunor, Chief Ibori said: “It is ironic that the nation that betrayed this man’s effort to rescue it from political and economic morass will, now that he is dead, begin to shed crocodile tears.
“Even those who betrayed the very effort to make Ekwueme President, may begin to hypocritically of course, bewail the fact that Ekwueme or the Igboman or woman, never ruled Nigeria.
Further, Ibori said that Ekwueme was an extra-ordinary polyvalent scholar who earned multiple degrees in architecture, urban planning, sociology, history, philosophy and law from several universities.
“He was a gifted architect whose professional legacies dot various Nigerian cities. In politics, he was both gentlemanly and fatherly, introducing mildness even when the others had embraced roughness and irascibility.
“If only we had allowed Ekwueme to rule Nigeria, what example would he have set? Now, we will never know…and Nigeria is the ultimate loser. Ekwueme has lived a full life; he has given a radiant account of himself and we all agree he was outstanding”.
Similarly, the former Governor of Ogun state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who is vying for the chairmanship post of the PDP, Nigeria has lost an icon
Daniel described the late former Vice-President, Dr. Ekwueme as “a national icon whose contributions helped to stabilise democratic ideals in the nation’s polity.”
In a condolence message signed by his aide Ayo Giwa, Daniel said Ekwueme was until his death, among the few remaining titans of modern Nigerian politics.
“Late Ekwueme was an exceptional personality who lived a life full of achievements in his professional career as an architect of international repute and also in the field of politics where he established himself as a remarkable politician and rallying point among his kinsmen, contemporaries and generality of Nigerians.”
He said Dr. Ekwueme held aloft democratic ideals of the nation’s founding fathers and never wavered in the quest for a better Nigeria, stressing his sense of patriotic won him great respect from across the political spectrum.
Also, former Acting National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, has described the death of the first elected Vice President of Nigeria Dr. Alex Ekwueme as a huge loss to the PDP and Nigeria.
“As one of the outstanding founding fathers of our great party, the PDP, his exit now remains very painful as he would have been a utility person in the rebuilding process of our party.