Francis Arthur Nzeribe, Maverick politician, patron of Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), and former Senator representing Orlu zone at the National Assembly has died at the age of 84 years, after many years of illness in which he was said to be on life-support machine.
An anonymous source from the family, who confirmed the death of the prominent politician, who first broke into the political scene, in the second republic through his Francis Arthur Nzeribe (FAN) Foundation, was said to have passed on on Saturday evening.
Born on November 2, 1938, Nzeribe, remains the longest Senator to represent Imo West at the National Assembly, where the current governor of the state, Hope Uzodinma also represented before contesting his current position.
Nzeribe, said to have become a billionaire at the age of 22, is said to be involved in many businesses, including the financial sector and supply of military equipment, but became very prominent in national politics for his role in the ABN, believed to have been the major force in the scuttling of the June 12, 1993 election won by fellow billionaire, Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola.
Since retiring from politics where he was elected as the first Senator from Orlu Zone in the current political dispensation that began in 1999 after the demise of Abiola, the fiery politician, known for his fearlessness in his views, had vanished from the public space, apparently due to his illness.