The Speaker of the third House of House of Representatives, Agunwa Anakwe, has passed on following an undisclosed illness. He was 74 years old.
Anakwe, who was Speaker at 36 years of age, died on Saturday, according to the Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Law Mefor.
He was removed from office following the military coup that ousted Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government by former military dictator, General Sani Abacha, on November 17, 1993.
He opposed the agitation for the creation of more local councils at the time, which, though a legitimate aspiration, was pushed as a disguise to prolong the transition to democracy.
“He steered the House with a lot of dexterity, wisdom and patience, a situation that saw the House having more stability than its Senate counterpart before the military, led by General Abacha, struck on November 17, 1993, after the annulment of the Presidential election won by MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP),” Chris Ngige, former governor of Anambra, where Anakwe hails from, wrote in a statement.
While paying tribute to the late Speaker, Ngige described him as “a close friend and trusted political ally.” He noted that, as Speaker, Anakwe displayed “dexterity, wisdom, and patience” in steering the House during a turbulent political period.
“He brought greater stability to the House of Representatives than what we saw in the Senate at the time before the military struck after the annulment of MKO Abiola’s election victory,” Ngige said.
The former governor also revealed that he was supported by Anakwe while challenging entrenched political godfathers and restoring civil service functionality in the state.
