By Haruna Salami
A former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, and Senator representing Plateau South in the Senate, Ignatius Longjan on Sunday died after a brief illness in a Turkish Hospital.
Until his death, the 75-year-old lawmaker was a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), making it the second senator to die in the ruling party in less than two months after late Benjamin Uwajimogu, who represented Imo North in the Senate.
Reacting to his demise, the All Progressives Congress, APC said the party is deeply saddened by the death of Senator Longjan who died on Sunday evening. He was the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism.
APC, in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the late Senator was a grassroots politician and progressive federal lawmaker who advocated a smooth working relationship between the executive and legislature as a way of ensuring good governance and proper initiation and implementation of policies that impact positively on the people.
“He was a loyal party man who championed party supremacy over personal interest in all party matters and decisions, as displayed in the emergence of the leadership of the current 9th National Assembly.
“We extend our condolences to Senator Longjan’s immediate family, constituents, the National Assembly, the government and entire people of Plateau State. May the Almighty God grant all comfort during this time of grief”, the statement said.
Similarly, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has mourned the late senator Ignatius Longjan, saying that Senate will miss his contributions.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, Lawan commiserated with the family of the late Senator.
Lawan also condoled with the government and people of Plateau state over the sad loss of the Senator.
“The Senate President acknowledged the contributions of Senator Longjan both at the state and national levels as former Chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, Kuru; former Chief of Staff at the Government House in Jos and Plateau State Deputy Governor between 2011 and 2019”, the statement said.
Meanwhile, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has reacted to the death of former Deputy Governor of Plateau state and Senator representing Plateau South, Ignatius Longjan, expressing his condolences to the family of the late lawmaker.
He described the deceased as a distinguished leader who would be greatly missed. Dogara on his Twitter page wrote: “Sen Ignatius Longjan was a distinguished Nigerian and a leader par excellence.
“My heartfelt condolences to the Longjan family, the people of Plateau South Senatorial District, Plateau state and the Nigerian Senate. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.”
In the same vein, the senator representing Kaduna Central on APC platform, Uba Sani, while reacting to the incident, said on his official twitter handle, “The National Assembly has once again been thrown into mourning on the tragic news of Senator Ignatius Longjan who passed on last night in Abuja.
“We mourn our dear colleague who was a patriotic Nigerian, whose contributions to national development cannot be ignored.”
He therefore extended “deepest and sincerest condolences to his family, the Senate, All Progressive Congress APC, Plateau State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I pray that God gives his family the strength to bear the irreparable loss.”
