The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, General Secretary for South-West region, Chief Rahman Owokoniran, has expressed his condolences to Governor Abdulahi Ganduje of Kano State over the death of Alhaji Bashir Tofa.

Owokoniran said Tofa’s death was a loss, not only to Kano, but the entire country given that he had a special place in the history of the country’s democracy.

Tofa, who died on Monday morning at the age of 74, was the presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention, NRC.

He was the major challenger of MKO Abiola’s in the controversial June 12, 1993, presidential election annulled by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida(rtd).

In his condolence message to the governor, Owokoniran said: “Our condolences go to the Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abdulahi Ganduje and Kano Emirate for the loss of an illustrious son of the state, Alhaji Bashir Tofa.

“We regret that he left at this critical time in the history of our great Nation. He will certainly be missed.

“He owes the Nation a debt of knowledge of his perspective about the crisis that took us to the Dark Age in 1993

“After all, we are yet to find a closure to the disruption of our then fledgling democracy. It would remain a missed opportunity for us. But we still have many like him, who could shed the light to save our Nation.

“What the people demand is closure to enable them reconcile and move on. It has been difficult in the midst of deliberate misrepresentation of facts and misrule of the extreme right creating alternative truth that continue to inject poison into the system.

“What sad news that Alhaji Tofa must exit now. May his soul rest in peace. And may God grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss.

“For Nigeria, we shall continue to wait for that leader with the strength of character to bell the cat and will take Nigeria to a new level,” Owokoniran prayed.

Family sources said the former presidential candidate died in the early hours of Monday after a protracted illness.

“Alhaji Bashir Tofa died after being admitted in hospital for some time,” one of his relations, Alhaji Muhammad, said.

Vanguard News Nigeria