Ogun INEC REC slumps, dies in Abuja

Niyi Ijalaye, resident electoral commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ogun state, is dead.

The Ogun REC slumped and died in his hotel room in Abuja after a meeting of RECs at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday evening.

The meeting, chaired by Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, dwelt on the forthcoming off-cycle elections in Edo and Ondo states.

Confirming the incident to TheCable, Rotimi Oyekanmi, spokesperson of the INEC chairman, said “unfortunately, we lost the REC yesterday after the meeting”.

The REC, who was dressed in a blue striped outfit, appeared healthy during the meeting.

Ijalaye, who hails from Ondo, was appointed as the Ogun state REC in March 2022, following the transfer of Olusegun Agbaje, his successor, to Lagos.

The incident adds to the number of persons who have slumped and died in recent times.

In June, Essien Etop Andrew, the deputy comptroller in charge of revenue at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), was fielding questions from members of the house of representatives committee on public accounts, when he coughed and slumped.

Andrew was rushed to the national assembly clinic where he was confirmed dead.