Chairman of the ongoing National Conference and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Kutigi on Wednesday admitted Senator Alphonsus Igbeke as replacement for deceased former Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili.
Igbeke’s name was announced to the plenary by Kutigi amidst applause from fellow delegates.
The Senator who represented Anambra North Senatorial District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was earlier sighted by journalists on Tuesday evening when he came to finalise his documentation with the Conference Secretariat.
He later confirmed that he has replaced Akunyili in the confab.
Akunyili, former director-general of the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration (NAFDAC), a delegate representing Anambra State in the confab died on Saturday 7th June. She was the third delegate to die since the inauguration of the confab by President Goodluck Jonathan.
She died in a specialist Hospital in India “after a two-year battle with cancer.”
Ex-Governor Peter Obi who confirmed her death had said, “In spite her illness, Prof. Akunyili was unwavering in her belief in a better Nigeria. That was why she defied her condition and was part of Anambra State Handover Committee and the National Conference.
“The last time I visited her in India, even when she needed all the prayers herself, she was full of concern for the abducted Chibok girls, security and other challenges facing the country and told me that she remained prayerful for the release of those girls and for God to help President Goodluck Jonathan to overcome all the challenges facing the Nation. She therefore urged all Nigerians to remain prayerful and committed to building a better society for our children. We all prayed together and I promised to be visiting her every month.
“We thank all those who remain fervent in prayers for her recovery and urge them to remain prayerful for the peaceful repose of her soul.”
