Uche Amunike
The Jigawa APC senatorial candidate, Hon Tijjani Ibrahim has been confirmed dead.
He was said to have died after being unsuccessfully treated for a lung infection. He was reportedly admitted at an Abuja hospital, however, when his condition deteriorated, he was flown to China for further treatment, where he eventually died.
The deceased Jigawa State senatorial candidate once served as the Senator representing Dutse/Kiyawa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives from 2011 through 2015, under the aegis of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He was also the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 general election, but however lost to Mallam Aminu Ibrahim Ringim.
He eventually decamped to the APC, and his death occurred barely three months after being given the party’s senatorial ticket for the Jigawa Central in the oncoming 2023 general election.
He is survived by his wife, several children and aged mother.
Recall that the 70year old mother of the late Tijjani, Hajiya Jaja, was kidnapped in June 2022, by unknown gunmen who whisked her away from her residence in Kiyawa town, situated in Kiyawa Local Government Area of the state, amidst gunshots being shot sporadically into the air as they abducted her. Shortly after that, the Police swooped in on one of her abductors, identified as Ibrahim Suleiman, of Tsigi Quarters in Kiyawa Local Government Area in the state. He was arrested after he was seen in one of the vehicles with which the gunmen used in carrying out their operation. The septuagenarian was eventually released by her captors.
President Muhammadu Buhari, Sunday, has already sent his condolences, not only to the family of the late Jigawa APC Senatorial candidate, but also, to the people of Jigawa State and the government.
According to his condolence message, which was contained in a statement signed by Presidential Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu and titled ‘President Buhari Mourns Jigawa APC Stalwart, Says a Good Man has been Lost’, Buhari extolled the late politician, while describing him as ‘a kind and insightful politician who placed the interests of the people he represented, above his own.
He lauded him for leaving behind, an indelible contribution to the social and economic development of his community and Nigeria as a whole, stating that he will always be remembered for his perfect understanding of grassroots political mobilization.
Governor of Jigawa state, Muhammad Badaru also mourns the late Jigawa APC senatorial candidate, Tijjani Ibrahim, who he described as a dependable ally.
The governor, according to an official statement released through his Media Aide, Habibu Kila, described the death of the late politician as a great loss, not just to his family, but to the Muslim Ummar.
He went on to describe him as a loyal and dependable politician who contributed immensely to the political development of the country. He further prayed that God will grant the late Jigawa APC Senatorial candidate eternal rest, while granting his family the strength to bear the loss.