Ezea Okechukwu

Okechukwu Ezea (11 August 1963 – 18 November 2025) was a Nigerian politician, lawyer, and businessman who served as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing Enugu North Senatorial District from June 2023 to November 2025.

Okechukwu Ezea was born in Enugu State, Nigeria, to Theresa (née Attamah) and James Ezea from Enugu State. He attended Community Primary School, Umachi in Enugu-Ezike, and Nsukka High School in Nsukka for his primary and secondary education respectively.

Ezea proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where he studied political science, graduating with a BSc in 1986.

He also had his LL.B and LL.M in law from the University of Lagos, Akoka.

After his National Youth Service Corps service in September 1987, Ezea was employed by the Nigerian Customs Service, where he worked as the Deputy Superintendent, until he retired in 1994.

In 1994, Ezea entered into a capitalist business and founded the Ideke Shipping Limited. Between 1995 and 2018, Ideke Shipping provided intermodal logistics services.

Ezea subsequently founded Ideke Engineering Limited, Ideke Overseas Limited, Damik Ventures Limited, and Damik Security Limited.

Ezea became a local politician while still in the University of Nigeria, where he held school positions. In 2007, he became a full-time politician and contested as the Labour Party candidate in the 2007 Enugu State gubernatorial election. The result of the election was overturned after a court challenge and the Enugu State Governorship Election Tribunal.

In 2013, Ezea co-founded part of the All Progressive Congress in Enugu and became the candidate in 2015.

In 2018, Ezea was appointed by Muhammadu Buhari as the Chairman of the governing board, Federal Medical Centre in Jalingo, Taraba State, a position he held until he resigned in 2022 to join the Labour Party.

On 25 February 2023, Ezea was elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, representing Enugu North Senatorial District.

Ezea died in Lagos State on 18 November 2025, reportedly while undergoing a leg amputation, at the age of 62.

Party Positions

Policy positions from the Labour Party (LP) party manifesto.

Agriculture

Will optimize agricultural value chains across all 36 states with targeted investments, addressing impediments like banditry, kidnapping, and desertification to enhance food security and advance agro-based industrialization.

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Governance & Reform

Will restructure the Nigerian federation through legal and institutional reforms to strengthen federalism by moving agreed items from the exclusive list of the Federal government to the concurrent list, ensuring effective public action for growth and sustainable livelihood.

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Security & Defense

Will implement key recommendations from previous police and security sector reform reports, including a three-level policing structure (local, state, federal) with detailed guidelines to curb abuses.

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Reliefs and scholarships

Will resolve the national minimum wage problem by replacing the extant salary structure with an hourly productivity-based national minimum wage, ensuring binding application across all sectors.

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Economy & Trade

Will reform the transport system, including logistics, ports, customs, and other agencies, to create an integrated transport system promoting inter-connectivity among ports, roads, rail, and inland waterways to reduce trade costs and enhance competitiveness.

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Enterprise grant support

Will devise programs to reskill youths, create mandatory national certification for blue-collar artisans, strengthen STEM tertiary schools, and establish a venture capital-like fund for young entrepreneurs.

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Environment & Climate

Will establish a Green Army to tap into $3 trillion in international climate finance for green growth, employment, and transition to a green economy.

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Anti-corruption

Will establish the Office of Special Counsel to investigate and prosecute executive abuses of power and corruption, with constitutional amendments to exempt its prosecutions from the Nolle Prosequi power of the Attorney General.

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Energy

Launch a solar power revolution in Northern Nigeria, ensuring uninterrupted power supply in cities and industrial parks by the end of 2024 through re-engagement of 14 Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and resolving financial impediments to reach $2.5 billion in PPAs for 1,125 MW of solar capacity.

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Technology & Digital

Support private sector-led fiber-optic backbone projects connecting tertiary institutions and state capitals to enable free broadband access for digital transformation.

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Infrastructure

Creation of national multi-utility transport tunnels (MUT) to integrate masterplans for gas, road, railway, urban mass transit, telecommunications, water, sewage, and electricity for cost efficiency and streamlined infrastructure development.

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Education

Will implement a Marshall Plan-style education reform program with compulsory technical and vocational skills, entrepreneurship, and digital training from primary to secondary level, with strategic partnerships for incubators and seed funding.

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Healthcare

Expand health insurance coverage to 133 million poorest Nigerians (including pregnant women, children, the elderly, and disabled) through strengthened NHIS with private sector involvement, ensuring accessibility and affordability.

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Foreign Policy

Engage in Afro-centric diplomacy to protect Nigerian citizens abroad and advance economic interests through trade, investment, and diplomatic leverage.

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