Ex-Nigerian Senator is dead

The former senator, who represented Delta North District, passed away on Friday, according to sources close to the politician.

Peter Nwaoboshi, a former Nigerian senator from Delta State, is dead.

Mr Nwaoboshi, who represented Delta North District, passed away on Friday, according to sources close to the politician.

He was 67.

However details of the former senator’s death remain sketchy as of press time.

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State has confirmed the death of the former senator.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Festus Ahon on Friday, Mr Oborevwori, described Mr Nwaoboshi’s death as a great loss to Delta State, the Anioma nation, and Nigeria.

He said the deceased senator was “a fearless advocate” of the Anioma cause, an entity currently seeking to be carved out as a separate state from the Delta.

“On behalf of the government and people of Delta State, I mourn the passing of my dear friend, Senator Peter Onyelukachukwu Nwaoboshi,” the governor said.

Mr Oborevwori recalled Mr Nwaoboshi’s impactful service in the National Assembly, saying the politician devoted his life to the service of his people, his party, and the nation

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to his immediate family, the people of Anioma nation, members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, and all those whose lives he touched,” he stated.

Delta’s deputy speaker reacts

Like Mr Oborevwori, the Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Arthur Akpowowo, also announced the death of the former senator.

“I just lost my senior brother, boss, leader, and friend, Distinguished Senator Peter Onyeluka Nwaoboshi,” Mr Akpowowo, a lawyer, wrote in a Facebook post Friday afternoon.

The deputy speaker prayed for the peaceful repose of the politician’s soul.

“While I mourn with his immediate family, the Nwaboshis, Ibusa community, Oshimili North, and the entire Delta State, I pray to the Almighty God to accept his soul and grant him eternal rest in His bosom,” he added.

Peter Nwaoboshi at a glance

Born 29 June 1958, Mr Nwaoboshi hailed from Idumuje-Unor, a community in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, Nigeria’s South-south.

He represented Delta North District at the Nigerian Senate from June 2015 to June 2023 under the PDP platform.

The politician was succeeded at the upper chamber of the National Assembly by Ned Nwoko, who now represents the district.

M Nwaoboshi served as chairperson of the PDP in Delta State from 2008 to 2014, when he resigned to pursue his senatorial ambition.

The former senator joined the APC in 2021 after he was suspended by the PDP for alleged anti-party activities following a conflict between him and the then-Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.