Nigeria has lost two prominent former lawmakers from Anambra and Lagos States, with their deaths announced within days of each other.
Chief Benjamin Afagu Ekwealor, a former Speaker of the Old Anambra State House of Assembly, passed away at the age of 89 on Saturday, July 26, 2025. He died peacefully at his residence in Nzam, located in Anambra West Local Government Area. His family confirmed the news on Wednesday.
Ekwealor, a retired school principal, joined politics after his retirement in 1977. He became a member of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and was elected into the Old Anambra State House of Assembly in 1979. He served a second term beginning in 1983 and rose to become the Speaker of the Assembly, which then covered the present-day Anambra, Enugu, and Ebonyi States. He is survived by six children and numerous grandchildren. Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
In Lagos, Hon. Victor Akande, who represented Ojo State Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, died on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. His death was reportedly due to complications from a car accident in the Ojo area. Akande served in the Assembly from 2015 to 2023. Initially elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he later defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), securing a second term.
During his time in office, Hon. Akande chaired the House Committee on Justice, Human Rights, Public Petitions, and the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).
Both lawmakers are being remembered for their contributions to governance and legislative development in their respective states.
