President Muhammadu Buhari has described the death of Senator Ali Wakil as “an incalculable loss to Nigeria’s democracy”.
The President said this on Saturday while mourning the lawmaker from Bauchi State in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
Senator Wakili died on Saturday morning at the age of 58 years old after he was said to have slumped at his Gwarimpa residence in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
He was immediately rushed to a hospital in the nation’s capital but died on the way before getting a medical treatment.
Until his death, the lawmaker was a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Poverty Alleviation.
Nigerian Senate Mourns Member, Ali Wakili
Reacting to his demise hours later, President Buhari described the lawmaker as a Nigerian “whose dedication to duty was remarkable and worthy of emulation.”
He noted that the death of the senator came as a great shock to him, adding that his dedication to duty would remain one of the greatest virtues for which the deceased would be remembered.
“The passion for duty was one of the finest qualities of late Senator Wakil,” said President, as he urged other democratically elected leaders to borrow a leaf from the deceased’s record of dedication.
He further extended his condolences to the family of the late lawmaker, his colleagues in the National Assembly, as well as the government and people of Bauchi State over what he called a “great loss to the country”.
The President also prayed to Allah to bless the soul of the departed senator.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and some other lawmakers have also mourned late Senator Wakili.
In a statement by his spokesman Yusuph Olaniyonu, Senator Saraki described the departed as a vibrant lawmaker and a public servant who was very passionate about his assignment and engagement in the Senate.
He noted that Wakili’s contributions at the plenary were very incisive and rich, adding that he was “one lawmaker you can never be in doubt where he stands on a particular issue.”
