The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State has been thrown into mourning following the sudden death of its chairman, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon.
Solomon reportedly collapsed on Friday while attending a party reconciliation meeting in Iyara, the headquarters of Ijumu LGA.
He was said to have received emergency medical attention at the venue before being rushed to a hospital in nearby Kabba, where he was reportedly pronounced dead on arrival.
The tragic incident sent shockwaves through the gathering, which had been convened to resolve lingering disagreements within the party and bring rival factions together.
The meeting was organised by a former chairman of Ijumu LGA, Funsho Olumoko, as part of efforts to reconcile aggrieved party members, strengthen unity and prepare the party for future political engagements.
Sources said an earlier reconciliation session had ended in a deadlock following disagreements over the leadership of the APC in the local government.
The disagreement reportedly led Solomon, some party stakeholders and government officials to walk out of the meeting.
Friday’s meeting was subsequently organised as a fresh attempt to bridge the differences.
It brought together political leaders, local government and ward executives, women and youth leaders, as well as government appointees representing the 15 wards in Ijumu.
But what was meant to be another step towards party unity ended in tragedy with the sudden collapse and death of the APC chairman.
The development has since triggered an outpouring of grief among party members and political leaders in the area.
Senator Sunday Karimi, who represents Kogi West Senatorial District, and Hon. Salman Idris, representing Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, expressed sadness over Solomon’s death.
Karimi described the deceased as a loyal party member, committed politician and grassroots mobiliser whose contribution to the APC would be difficult to replace.
He said Solomon was a bridge-builder and a man committed to peace and the ideals of the party.
According to the senator, the deceased’s death was a major loss to his family, Ijumu Local Government Area and the APC family across Kogi State.
The police were yet to officially comment on the circumstances surrounding the death as of the time of filing this report.
The Kogi State Police Command spokesperson, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, had not responded to inquiries on the incident.
A photograph from the reconciliation meeting, taken before the tragedy, showed Solomon among political stakeholders gathered for the peace initiative.
The meeting, convened by Olumoko, was also aimed at strengthening cooperation among APC stakeholders and building a united political structure ahead of future engagements, including campaigns in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo.
For the political family gathered in Iyara, however, the meeting will now be remembered for the sudden loss of a party chairman who came to help settle differences but never made it home.
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