JUST IN: Ex-Imo governor Ihedioha loses mother

The former governor said the matriarch died on Thursday in Abuja at the age of 90 years.

Dorothy Ihedioha, mother of a former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedoha, is dead.

Mr Ihedioha announced this in a Facebook post on Friday.

(You can get “Inside 5 Things” delivered to your inbox daily. Subscribe here.)

“After a fruitful and eventful life of God’s abundant mercies and grace, our mother, grandmother and great grandmother, Dame Dorothy Nsonma Ihedioha (Nee Okereke) (has) gloriously transited to eternity,” he wrote.

The former governor said the matriarch died on Thursday in Abuja at the age of 90 years.

“While we thank friends and well wishers who identified with us, particularly during our mother’s last days, we enjoin you to remember the family in your prayers,” he added.

He said the family would announce funeral arrangements for the deceased in due course.

Mr Ihedioha served as the governor state under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between May 2019 and January 2020, when the Supreme Court nullified their election and declared Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress as the governor of the state.

The former governor recently announced his withdrawal from the Imo State governorship race under the PDP.

There are speculations that he was considering a switch to another opposition party in Imo State ahead of the 11 November governorship election in the state.

Dorothy Ihedioha at a glance

Late Mrs Ihedioha was born to Okereke royal family in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State. She got married in 1951 at the age 20 years to Bernard Ihedioha, who died in 1995.

The matriarch gave birth to 13 children, including former governor of the state, Mr Ihedioha, although five of them died later.

A holder of Standard Six and Teachers’ Grade II Certificates, the nonagenarian served as a teacher at Central Primary School, Mbutu, a community in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of the state.