Shock in Wike’s Camp as Top Loyalist Passes Away

The Senator representing Rivers Southeast, Barry Mpigi, has been reported dead.

Multiple sources said Mpigi, a loyalist of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike, died at the age if 64.

It was gathered that Mpigi died after a prolonged survival battle against an undisclosed sickness

While some said he died in Abuja, others claimed he passed in a London hospital.

Senator Mpigi was seen as one of Wike’s key loyalists within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and later in broader political strategies linked to Wike’s influence in Rivers State. His death comes against the backdrop of ongoing political tension in the state between Wike’s camp and supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Tributes are expected from various political quarters given his long service and alignment with Wike’s political circle, though official condolence statements may still be forthcoming from the family and political leaders.

The late lawmaker was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2011 and was reelected to a second term in 2016.

In 2019, he was elected as the senator representing Rivers South-East senatorial district on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

During the Ninth Assembly, Mpigi was appointed chairman of a joint Senate committee set up to investigate crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

As at the time of filing this report, no official statement from family members.