Abuja — Mr Chineme Ume-Ezeoke,  son of the late former Chairman of ANPP,  said the corpse  of his father would arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Saturday.

Chineme  on Fridaysaid  that  the corpse  would arrive at the airport from India “but the exact time of  his arrival is not yet known as it will be determined by the airline’’.

Chineme, who was a former Special Adviser to the late President Musa Yar’Adua on Civil Society, added that there were no formal arrangement yet for the burial.

According to him, every arrangement for the burial will commence as soon as the corpse arrives  at the family house in Asokoro.
The late Chief Ume-Ezeoke hails from Amichi in Nnewi South Local Government Area, Anambra State.

He was born on Sept. 8,1935. In 1969 he married his heartthrob, Ngozi Agha and they have three sons and three daughters.

He had his education at St. Eugenia’s School, Amichi, 1943-51; St. Patrick’s College Calabar, 1952-56; North-Western Polytechnic, London, 1960-62; Council of Legal Education, London, 1961-63; Holborn College, London, 1962-66; Nigeria Law School, Lagos, 1971.

He was engaged in private legal practise, before he was elected the first Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, 1979-83.
He held other positions such as former legal adviser, defunct Nigerian People’s Party (NPP); Nnewi Branch; chairman Presidential Technical Committee on the Review of 1999 Constitution.

A former presidential aspirant, he was the running mate to Muhammadu Buhari, former presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2007 general elections. Until recently, he was the national chairman of ANPP.

Sen. Chris Ngige, representing Anambra Central District, who paid a condolence visit to the family of the late speaker, said he was one of the men that brought stability to the country when he was a speaker in the house, stating that he helped in the development of the country.

He said  that Ume-Ezeoke was “ a legislator of legislators who will be remembered by all present and incoming legislative politicians as the man who gave stability to the country in 1979-1983”.

A former presidential aspirant, he was the running mate to Muhammadu Buhari, former presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in 2007 general elections.

Until recently, he was the national chairman of ANPP. (NAN)