Ganduje Mourns, As Tofa Laid To Rest In Kano
POLITICS DIGEST – It was wailing and tears in Kano on Monday morning, when the remains of Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa, Presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the botched 3rd Republic was laid to rest.
A mammoth crowd that comprised mostly family members, political associates, city dwellers, witnessed the internment that was done according to the dictates of sharia.
The Kano born erudite politician had in June 12th , 1993 slugged it out with the presumed winner of that epic political battle, Chief Mashood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola before the General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida led military junta annulled what pundit described as “pan Nigerian mandate”
Tofa born on June 20th, 1947, died in the early hours of Monday after a brief illness at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH).
Read Also:
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has mourned the death of Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa, former Presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the June 12, 1993 election, whose contributions to Nigeria’s democracy, he said, remained indelible.
In a statement signed by the commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, the governor noted the sacrifices of Tofa, who started taking up leadership responsibilities at an early age, when he was elected councilor in Tofa in his late 20s, and remaining vibrant and dynamic up till the time of his death.
He said as a businessman, trader and philanthropist, Tofa touched the life of many people, especially the down-trodden, and expressed the belief that the legacies of the deceased will be approximated for posterity.
“The legacy of his political beliefs and triumphs will be important footnotes in the literature of Nigeria’s government and politics for generations yet to come.
“He was a great man, a quintessential democrat and outstanding statesman who has left very bold prints both on the politics and political history of Nigeria, “the statement added.
The governor prayed Almighty Allah to grant his soul Aljannah Firdausi and the fortitude for his family, friends and associates to bear the irreparable loss.
