Omo-Agege, Ibori mourn ex-Delta acting governor, Sam Obi

Olaotan Falade

3 years ago

Omo-Agege, Ibori mourn ex-Delta acting governor, Sam Obi

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori have reacted to the passing of a former acting governor, Prince Sam Obi.

TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly died on Saturday morning.

In a condolence message personally signed by him, Senator Omo-Agege said: “I am profoundly shocked by the sudden death of Prince Sam Obi, former Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly and former Acting Governor of Delta State, a man who possessed one of the highest qualities of professional integrity throughout the course of his legislative career”.

According to the Deputy President of the Senate, “Prince Sam Obi was a very dedicated, hardworking and committed friend and legislator for whom I have the deepest respect and admiration.”

The Delta Central Senator said that “the passion with which Prince Sam Obi did his job accounted for his political success in life, making it possible for him to attain the pinnacle of excellence in his political career as Speaker of the State’s Assembly and later as Acting Governor of Delta State”.

He described the late former Speaker and former Acting Governor as ”a man of very solid character, extra-ordinary administrator and a politician par excellence, who stood firmly for what he believed in.”

In a similar reaction, ex-governor of Delta State Chief James Ibori described the passing of Prince Sam Obi as a big loss to Delta State.

He said that the late Prince Obi gave remarkable services to the state state when events thrust the governance of the state on his shoulders. That was when Prince Sam Obi, as the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, became the Acting-Governor in 2010 when the Appeal Court, Benin, nullified the election of former Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, and ordered a re-run.

In those intervening months, Obi proved himself worthy of the office by keeping the state stable before and during the the prescribed election.

Within that time too, he showed himself a worthy leader of the Peoples Democratic Party family in Delta state as the PDP swept the polls convincingly.

Ibori said that Prince Obi, who passed away in his sleep, Saturday morning in Asaba, distinguished himself in any task that he faced, in and out of politics.

Ibori said that Obi, from Ute-Okpu, who represented Ika North-East constituency at the House two consecutive times, till 2015 when he did not seek re-election, was a man of many parts.

Thus, he became a noteworthy founder and Pastor of the Oracle of God Ministries, church.

Ibori consoled the family Prince Obi has left behind, his Ute-Okpu home town, the Governor of Delta state, His Excellency, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, and the good people of Delta state. He prayed that God may grant them the fortitude to bear this great loss and give eternal rest to Prince Obi’s soul.