Senate President Godswill Akpabio stirred emotions in Jos on Saturday as he told APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, that his late mother, Mama Lydia Yilwatda Goshwe, “chose the right time to depart.”
Mama Lydia, who died in August at 83, was laid to rest in a ceremony that drew political heavyweights and a massive crowd of mourners.
“To our dear Mama, goodbye from all of us. Goodbye from Nigeria. To our National Chairman, be consoled in the knowledge that your mother chose the right time to depart — a time when her legacy continues to speak through you and through all the lives she touched,” Akpabio declared.
But beyond condolences, the Senate President turned the burial into a platform to applaud President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as his unifying touch.
“All former Governors of Plateau State are here today, irrespective of political party. The Governor of Plateau State, working closely with our National Chairman, has received you warmly, and the people of Plateau have shown tremendous affection and excitement at your visit,” Akpabio said, adding that Tinubu’s presence had “touched the hearts of the people of the Plateau.”
He recounted how thousands of Plateau citizens lined the streets from the airport to the venue, waving and cheering the President.
“This service today is a powerful reflection of unity, faith, and leadership — and it shows that God has truly registered your presence,” he told Tinubu.
The burial, marked by a rare display of solidarity across political and religious lines, became more than a farewell — it was a show of political strength and unity.
