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

There were reports that Akwaji died from COVID-19 related issues in an Isolation center.

However, at a press conference held in Calabar, the state capital on Tuesday June 23, the state Commissioner for Health, Betta Edu, said the late Akwaji was not COVID-19 positive as many suspected him to be. In her words

”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”