Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has expressed “deep shock and sadness” over the death of a Nigerian Senator, Barinada Mpigi.
Mr Mpigi, who represents Rivers South-east District, was an ally of Mr Fubara’s predecessor, Nyesom Wike, now the minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Rivers senator died in the early hours of Thursday after a prolonged illness.
He was 64.
‘A leading light in Rivers’
In a statement on Thursday by the governor’s spokesperson, Onwuka Nzeshi, Mr Fubara described Mr Mpigi as a “brother, a consummate politician and one of the leading lights in Rivers State.”
Governor Fubara said that the senator died at a “critical time” when his services were still needed by the people of Rivers State.
He prayed to God to grant him eternal rest.
The governor commiserated with his immediate family, the Rivers South-east Senatorial District, and the Senate at large, urging them to take solace in the “fact that the deceased lived a good life and impacted positively on the people.”
Background
Until his death, Mr Mpigi served as the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Works. He had battled illness for several months.
Mr Mpigi was first elected into the National Assembly in 2011, representing the Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
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He was later elected to the Senate in 2019 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, where he remained a member of the opposition party until his death.
With his passing, Mr Mpigi has become the fourth senator to die since the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June 2023.
Ifeanyi Ubah (Anambra South) died in July 2024; Okey Ezea (Enugu North) passed away in November 2025; and Godiya Akwashiki (Nasarawa North) followed in December 2025.