Just In: Former Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Bashir Tofa Dies ~ PressTv

FORMER presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa is dead.Tofa, according to family sources, died on the early hours of Monday after a brief illness.Confirming his death, one of the deceased relations, said “ Alhaji Bashir tofa died after a brief illness.”

A former presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the 1993 aborted third republic, Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa, has died.

The politician and businessman, who was born in June 1947, was also the Chairman of Kano Elders Forum.

He was earlier rumoured to have died on Friday before it was debunked.

The report which went viral on Friday night was debunked by a close associate of Tofa, Alhaji Ahmed Na’abba.

Na’abba was reported to have said that Tofa was alive, while another source claimed he was critically ill and hospitalised.

Na’abba had weighed in on the sensitive issue in an interview with Freedom Radio, where he dismissed the rumour about Tofa’s death, saying he was alive.

A publication, Solacebase, reportedly quoted a leading member of Coalition of Northern Group (CNG), Nastura Ashir Shariff, to have confirmed that Bashir Tofa was alive but critically ill and hospitalized.

Nigerian Sketch had reported that a call by its correspondent made to Tofa’s home on Friday night was not received.

Sundry reports from Kano on Monday morning said that Tofa has passed.

Meanwhile, a formal announcement and confirmation by family members had yet to be issued as of the time of publication of this initial report.

During the Nigerian Second Republic, Tofa was at various times the secretary of the Kano branch of NPN.

He later became the party’s national financial secretary and was a national member of the Green Revolution National Committee.

During the Third Republic, he was part of the Liberal Movement which metamorphosed to Liberal Convention when it was not registered as a political party.

Tofa joined NRC in 1990.

In 1993, when the Babangida administration introduced the Option A4 system, Tofa was elected the party’s presidential candidate.

During the party primaries, he defeated Pere Ajunwa, Joe Nwodo and Dalhatu Tafida to clinch the NRC ticket.

His running mate in the election was Sylvester Ugoh, an Igbo and a former governor of the now defunct Central Bank of Biafra. Both were members of the defunct National Party of Nigeria.

Tofa was apparently defeated in the presidential election by his rival Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, but the official results were never released by Babangida’s government.

Tofa is also a businessman, an oil trader and industrialist. He was chairman of International Petro-Energy Company (IPEC) and Abba Othman and Sons Ltd. He was also involved as a board member in Impex Ventures, Century Merchant Bank and General Metal Products Ltd.