Stella Effah-Attoe, PDP women leader, is dead

Stella Effah-Attoe, the national women leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is dead.

Effah-Attoe, a member of the PDP national working committee, according to the family, died on Sunday after a brief illness.

Debo Olongunagba, PDP’s national publicity secretary, in a statement,  said the country has “lost one of our best and brightest”.

“The national working committee (NWC) and indeed the entire Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) family is utterly devastated over the death of the national woman leader of our great Party, Stella Effah-Attoe. Our hearts bleed! Our party and nation have lost one of our best and brightest,” the statement reads.

“Prof. Effah-Attoe’s death is a huge blow not only to her family but also to the PDP, the academic community, the people of Cross River state and indeed the nation.

“Effah-Attoe was very brilliant, towering and magnificent in all spheres, but yet lived an exceptionally humble, pleasant, sociable, gracious, compassionate and loving life.

“She touched lives in many positive ways and made pivotal contributions towards the growth and development of our Nation.

“She was a dedicated teacher, politician, author and fearless mobiliser who always stood for the truth; fought for justice, equity and fairness and gave her energy, passion and resources in the pursuit of the rights of women in Nigeria.

“Over the years, as commissioner for education and later commissioner for information and culture in Cross River state, member of the Cross River state house of assembly, member of governing board of several Cross River State and federal government agencies and programmes; a university professor and one of the most decorated scholars in Nigeria, she distinguished herself as an amazon with extraordinary intellectual capacity for leadership and national service.

“As the national woman leader of our great party, she brought in an uncommon intellectual aptitude into party administration especially in mobilising women for greater participation in politics and governance.

“The PDP will always remember her tireless contributions alongside other PDP leaders in the effort to rebrand and strengthen our great party in the build-up to the 2023 general elections in line with the mission to rescue, rebuild and redirect our nation from misrule.”