By Abiola Olawale
A former Senate Majority leader, Jonathan Zwingina, has passed away at the age of 70 years.
According to reports emerging reaching the New Diplomat, Zwingina who represented Adamawa South Senatorial District of Adamawa State in the Senate from 1999 to 2007, and served as the Director General of Hope 93, Campaign Organization of late MKO Abiola, died in Abuja on Wednesday after battling with an undisclosed illness for four days.
The New Diplomat reports that Zwingina was elected Senator for the Adamawa South Senatorial District of Adamawa State, Nigeria at the start of the Nigerian Fourth Republic, running on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) platform. He took office on 29 May 1999.
He was reelected in April 2003, again on the PDP platform. After taking his seat in the Senate in June 1999, he was appointed to committees on Works & Housing (chairman), Establishment, Internal Affairs, Information, Special Projects, Privatization and Economic Affairs.
In Nigeria’s 1993 presidential election, he held a significant position as the Director-General of the ‘Hope ’93’ campaign organization for the late Chief Moshood Abiola, who was the candidate for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, the election, widely recognized as Nigeria’s most transparent and equitable presidential election, was invalidated by General Ibrahim Babangida, the then-military president.
