Please Attention PHOENIX Readers: The Full Article Is Available via “Read Original”
The member representing Kwami/Funakaye/Gombe Federal Constituency of Gombe State in the House of Representatives, Yaya Tongo, is dead.
Naija News reports that Tongo, who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, defected to the African Democratic Congress (APC) in March 2026.
News of his death was announced on Friday by former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, in a post on his verified X account.
“We have lost our representative for Gombe, Kwami, and Funakaye, Hon Yaya Bauchi Tongo. He passed away today, Friday, June 12, 2026,” Pantami wrote.
The former minister disclosed that he had visited the lawmaker earlier on Friday at Nizamiye Hospital in Abuja, where he was receiving treatment.
“Today, along with Alhaji Bappa Ahmad Abdullahi and some colleagues, I visited Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, from 3:30pm to 3:50pm, where I prayed for him,” Pantami stated.
“I also met his friend, two of his children, and other relatives at the hospital. They received me and accompanied me to his room.”
Pantami said he became deeply concerned after seeing the lawmaker’s condition.
“Since leaving the hospital, I have been deeply worried because of the condition I saw him in. Even to a layman like me, his health condition was clearly critical. However, we always put our trust in Allah, the Almighty God,” he added.
According to Pantami, he received news of Tongo’s death a few hours after leaving the hospital.
“A few hours later, I received news of his passing at Nizamiye Hospital, Abuja, today, Friday.
“We have lost one of our own. However, passing away on a Friday carries its own spiritual blessing,” he said.
The former minister referenced a saying attributed to Prophet Muhammad while praying for the deceased.
“The Prophet Muhammad said that ‘no believer passes away on Friday, or its night, but that Allah will protect him from the trial of the grave,’” he stated.
Pantami prayed for the late lawmaker, asking Allah to grant him eternal rest in Jannatul Firdaus and give his family the strength to bear the loss.
As of the time of filing this report, the leadership of the House of Representatives had yet to issue an official statement on the lawmaker’s death.
Tongo represented Kwami/Funakaye/Gombe Federal Constituency and was among the lawmakers elected into the 10th National Assembly in 2023.
