A lawmaker in the Cross Rivers State House of Assembly, has slumped and died during an early morning workout on Wednesday.
Steven Ukpukpen, who represented Obudu Constituency in the Cross River House of Assembly, was said to have slumped around 7.00am along Moore Road in Calabar, while exercising.
Ukpukpen was rushed to a private hospital where he was said to have been confirmed dead.
Senator Ben Ayade, Cross River State governor, described the lawmaker’s death as shocking and devastating.
Mr. Christian Ita, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, in a statement, said the sudden passing of Ukpukpen had left him in a state of shock and disbelief.
The governor said he was completely numbed and bewildered that the state had to lose such a vibrant intellectual who, as a lawmaker, was deeply committed to the effort of his administration to build enduring legacies and bequeath strong economy for the people.
Ayade decried that Ukpukpen died at a young age, especially when the state needed his skills and expertise in the art of lawmaking.
He commiserated with the lawmaker’s immediate family, the State House of Assembly, the people Of Obudu and the entire state over his death