Second Republic vice president, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, is dead.The elder statesman’s death was disclosed in a statement issued by the Ekwueme family of Oko, in Anambra State. The statement was reportedly released in the early hours of Monday.
The statement, signed by the former vice president’s brother, and the traditional ruler of Oko in Anambra State, Igwe Laz Ekwueme, explained that he passed on around 10:00 pm on Sunday, in a London hospital.
The statement read, “Ekwueme family regrets to announce the peaceful passing away of their patriarch, the former Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme, GCON.
“The sad event occurred at the London Clinic at 10:00 pm on Sunday, 19th November, 2017.”It would be recalled that Ekwueme was hospitalised in Memfys Neurosurgery Hospital, Enugu, for about two weeks before he was flown abroad for medical treatment on November 12.
The elder statesman was rushed to the hospital after collapsing at his residence in the Independence Layout area of Enugu on October 28. It was learnt that the elder statesman was in a coma at the time he was admitted to the hospital.
Ekwueme, who celebrated his 85th birthday on October 10, reportedly suffered from a chest infection, according to his family members.