Photo: Senate President Godswill Akpabio
Nigerian Senator Godiya Akwashiki, who represented Nasarawa North on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has died at the age of 52, lawmakers and his party said on Thursday.
Akwashiki died on Wednesday at a hospital in India, they said, without disclosing the cause of death.
A native of Angba Iggah in Nasarawa Eggon local government area, Akwashiki was first elected to the Senate in 2019 and won re-election in 2023. Before joining the upper chamber, he served in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, where he held roles including majority leader and deputy speaker.
Deputy President of the Senate Barau Jibrin described Akwashiki as a “parliamentarian par excellence,” praising his commitment to national development and to improving the lives of his constituents.
“Senator Akwashiki worked hard to enhance the standard of living of the people of Nasarawa North Senatorial District and beyond,” Jibrin said in a statement, offering condolences to the family and the people of Nasarawa State.
The Social Democratic Party also expressed grief, noting Akwashiki’s roles as chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, vice chairman of Media and Public Affairs, and chair of the Senate Committee on the Air Force.
The party described him as a grassroots leader whose death “has created a vacuum” within the SDP and in Nasarawa State politics.
Tributes continued to pour in from across Nigeria’s political spectrum, highlighting Akwashiki’s reputation as a committed legislator and public servant.
