Senator Okey Ezea: His Exit and the Search for a Leader After God’s Heart
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The death of Senator Okey Ezea on November 18, 2025, at the age of 62, has created more than a vacant legislative seat in Enugu North Senatorial District. It has opened a moment of sober reflection for a state, a party, and a nation wrestling with the crisis of authentic representation.
Okey Ezea’s passing occurred while receiving medical treatment in the United Kingdom. A political scientist by training, a lawyer by qualification, and an entrepreneur by accomplishment, he was the last standing Labour Party legislator from Enugu State, elected in 2023. Yet, beyond the facts of his biography lies the substance of his journey: he served as a rare exception in an era where politics is often driven by appetite rather than accountability.
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A Life Rooted in Service
Born on August 11, 1963, Senator Ezea graduated in Political Science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, before earning LL.B and LL.M degrees from the University of Lagos. His professional path led him through the Nigerian Customs Service, after which he founded Ideke Shipping Limited and other businesses. His visibility and impact in the private sector did not push him prematurely toward politics; instead, they prepared him for a life of advocacy and service.
As a senator, he carried a mandate that many underestimated but few could ignore. He stood firm on questions of governance, transparency, and community-focused representation. His tenure reflected a conviction that public office must be a burden to bear — not a trophy to display.
A Vacancy That Demands Discernment
Constitutionally, his seat will be filled through a by-election to be supervised by INEC. But the process cannot begin until the seat is formally declared vacant. This declaration lies solely with the Senate President, and until it is made, INEC cannot act. The Senate may choose to observe a mourning period, and the Constitution does not specify how long this may last.
This creates a critical responsibility for the people of Enugu:
They must engage the office of the Senate President and insist on a timely declaration. Delay is not an emotional risk—it is a political one. The absence of a senator means Enugu North currently has no one within the National Assembly to defend its interests—especially as the budgetary process is underway. If the declaration and by-election are not initiated promptly, the constituency may lose representation in a budget cycle that shapes national investment for the next fiscal year.
The people must interface with both the Senate leadership and INEC to ensure the election is conducted within the 90-day constitutional window.
Beyond Succession: A Call for Prepared Leadership
It is not enough to ask: Who wants to contest?
The real question should be: Who has been prepared to serve?
Nigeria’s political crisis is not the absence of elections; it is the abundance of candidates without calling. Too many pursue office because they desire elevation, not because they carry a burden for the people. Public office has become a career goal rather than a solemn responsibility. In such an environment, it is not surprising that many lawmakers lose moral authority long before they secure legislative influence.
This is precisely why the vacancy in Enugu North must be handled differently. Leadership must not emerge from negotiation, endorsement, or entitlement. It must be discovered, tested, and confirmed by the values already at work in a candidate’s life.
Let the People Seek Character, Not Campaigns
The next senator must be a man whose contributions to society are visible without a campaign, whose relationship to the community is rooted in impact rather than promises. He should not be a candidate defined by his desire to enter office, but by his proven capacity to serve whether he holds office or not.
Great leadership does not begin at the ballot box; it begins long before it. It begins in the invisible corridors of duty where a man learns to carry people on his heart before he carries them on a mandate.
The people of Enugu North must therefore widen the search. Traditional leadership, religious institutions, civil society groups, youth associations, professionals, and community elders should look beyond partisan loyalty. They must look for the man whose life answers a need greater than political ambition.
His Exit Should Become an Ethical Benchmark
Senator Okey Ezea did not represent perfection. No man does. But he represented a direction Nigeria desperately needs. His death should become a benchmark for the kind of leadership to come. His successor must not only occupy the seat he vacated, but continue the spirit with which he held it.
As Enugu prepares for the coming by-election, we must place humanity above politics. If Enugu elevates another man after God’s heart, the state will have honored Senator Ezea not with words, but with continuity of character.
His passing should not merely be mourned. It should be instructive.
May the nation find the courage to allow this moment to transform its politics. And may the people of Enugu North rise, not to fill a vacancy, but to lift a standard.
Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also President Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the C.E.O, Masterbuilder Communications. Email: bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com
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This post has already been read at least 1191 times!
