No lawmaker died of COVID-19 in Cross River

The Cross River state government has debunked reports and claims surrounding the death of a member of the state House of Assembly, Godwin Akwaji.

According to multiple online reports, Akwaji died from COVID-19 related issues in an Isolation center.

A family source had said that the lawmaker also exhibited fatigue, fever, cough, breathlessness, as he was been treated for malaria and pneumonia with no improvement.

Reacting to his death in a post on Facebook, Diana Mary Nsan wrote;

“My brother-in-law nursed him for the last two weeks up until yesterday.

“The government needs to tell us what killed him. He died at the isolation centre I suppose, so we still need to know the facts. My inlaw is self-isolating.”

Also reacting to the incident, Ebriku John Friday on Facebook said, “Black Thursday as Cross River loses Assembly member, Hon Godwin Akwaji.

“May his kind soul rest in peace.”

However, at a press conference held earlier today, the state Commissioner for Health, Betta Edu, said the late Akwaji was not COVID-19 positive as many suspected him to be. She said;

We lost one of our House of Assembly members last weekend. We condole with the family. However, that death was not as a result of COVID19.

It is not medically correct to stand here and state the illness of anyone without due permission from the family or the next of kin. In as much as I would like to tell the world what our dear degelator probably wnet through, I do not have such medical right and it could cost me my certificate”

Cross River is the only state where any case of COVID-19 has not been confirmed in the country.