Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Friday visited Shonga in Edu local government to commiserate with the Emir, Dr Haliru Yahaya Ndanusa, and the people of the Emirate over the passing of Alhaji Abubakar Ndakene.

Ndakene, a top chieftain of the APC party and Marafan Shonga, died recently. The government had earlier issued a condolence message on the incident.

AbdulRazaq acknowledged the outstanding contributions of the late Ndakene to the victory of the party at the 2019 and 2023 general elections in the state.

“It is with heavy hearts that we are here today to commiserate with Your Royal Highness over the demise of the Marafan Shonga. May Allaah grant him Al-jannah Firdaus," he said.

"Alhaji Ndakene dedicated his life to the well-being of his community, the state, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a whole.

“We also know his impacts at the National Population Commission and his wonderful contributions to our own party, APC. Our victory in the 2019 and general elections 2023 (especially in the Kwara North) might not have been possible without his major contributions.

“His legacies live on, and the youth should also emulate the kind of life he lived and see him as a shining example to follow.”

Dr Haliru, for his part, thanked the Governor for the visit and his generous donation to the affected family.

He commended AbdulRazaq for approving the construction of an ICT centre and other developmental projects in the community.

“We thank you very much for honouring us this afternoon with your presence and the entourage. May Allaah accept your prayers for the Marafan Shonga. He has done his best for the community in his lifetime, and everyone in the community appreciates what he has done," the monarch said.

"During the last (Local Government) election, we decided to vote for you (APC) en masse based on your performance in the last five years. Check the record. That's a show of confidence from our people here. And we thank you very much for making us proud."

The Governor, meanwhile, touched down at the palace of the Emir of Tsaragi, Alhaji Aliyu Abdullahi, to condole with the monarch over the passing of his cousin and former Controller of Immigration, Gombe State Command, Alhaji Ahmed Baba Sha'aba.

Governor Abdulrazaq prayed to God to grant the late Baba Sha'aba Al-jannah Firdaus.