President Muhammadu Buhari has said that with the death of Senator Saidu Umar Kumo, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had lost a “pillar of strength in Gombe State whose defection in 2019 energized supporters for change.”
Buhari, in a condolence message in Abuja, described the death of Kumo as “a major loss to the ruling APC”.
The president, in a statement issued by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, said: “I have received the news of the death of Senator Kumo with profound shock and sadness because his contributions to the growth of our party cannot be forgotten.
“Let me put it on record that the history of our victory in 2019 cannot be written without reckoning with the significant contributions of the late Senator Saidu Umar Kumo who brought his enormous political goodwill into our efforts to retain power.”
Meanwhile, Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State has expressed grief over the death of the late Senator Kumo.
In a condolence message, he described the former federal lawmaker as a distinguished gentleman, astute politician, respected statesman and patriot who contributed immensely to the development of the state and the nation in general.
Senator Kumo, who represented Gombe Central Senatorial District (1999-2003), died on Sunday at the age of 71.
Kumo, who was a former National Secretary of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), died after a brief illness in Abuja.
He was buried at the Gudu Cemetery after the funeral prayer held at the National Mosque.
