JUST IN: Adamawa LG boss dies 18 months after predecessor’s death

The Chairman of Fufore Local Government in Adamawa State, Yahya Saidu, is dead.

Mr Saidu died on Friday, about 18 months after the man he succeeded in the office also passed away.

His death was confirmed in a condolence statement issued on Saturday by Aliyu Wakili, a member of the House of Representatives representing the Fufore/Song Federal Constituency.

Expressing grief over the loss, Mr Wakili, in a Facebook statement, described Mr Saidu’s demise as an irreparable loss to the people of Fufore and Adamawa State.

“His passing is a great loss to the people of Fufore and Adamawa State at large,” Mr Wakili stated. “May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings, accept his good deeds, grant him Aljannatul Firdaus, and grant his family, friends, associates, and the entire people of Fufore the strength and patience to bear this irreparable loss.”

The death of Mr Saidu has sparked profound reflection across the state, coming just 18 months after the tragic passing of his predecessor, Shuaibu Babas, who died in office on 23 April, 2025.

Reflecting on the sobering coincidence, a political commentator in the state, Abu-Taqiyah Zumo, noted the striking tragedy of the local government council losing two sitting chairmen in such rapid succession.

“The deaths of Hon. Babas and Hon. Yaya Saidu—both Chairmen of the same Fufore Local Government, one after the other—are a coincidence that is not just shocking, but brutally sobering,” Mr Zumo remarked in a Facebook statement.

“It forces a deep reflection on the fleeting nature of power and life itself. The same exalted seat, the same office, the same title, now twice turned into a mourning ground.

“It reminds us that the chair remains, but the occupant is gone; that power is transient, life is fragile, and death is no respecter of position or ambition.

“Today you are called ‘Executive Chairman’ and tomorrow you are called ‘late.’ Indeed, we came with nothing, we will leave with nothing, and what will speak for us at the end is not the title we held, but the lives we touched”, Mr Zumo added.

Prayers and tributes continue to pour in from across Adamawa State as community leaders, political associates, and constituents mourn the late chairman and pray for comfort for his grieving family.