Senator representing Rivers South-East Senatorial District Barinada Mpigi is dead.
He was 64.
Senator Mpigi died in the early hours of Thursday after battling an illness.
His colleague, Ogoshi Onawo, senator representing Nasarawa South and chairman of the Senate Committee on Culture, Arts and Creative Economy, announced the development during a budget defence session with the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa.
The committee observed a minute’s silence in his honour at the commencement of the meeting.
Until his death, Mpigi served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Works.
In recent months, Rufai Hanga, deputy chairman of the committee, had presided over several of its meetings, including budget defence sessions.
Akin Alabi, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Works, confirmed the development on social media.
“Good night my dear friend. Rest in Peace, Senator Mpigi Barinada. Sen Mpigi represented Rivers South East in the Senate,” he wrote.
Mpigi was first elected into the National Assembly in 2011, representing the Eleme/Tai/Oyigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
He was elected to the Senate in 2019 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In December 2025, he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside other senators from Rivers State.
He was known in Rivers politics and was an ally of Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
With his death, Mpigi becomes the fourth senator to die since the inauguration of the 10th Senate in June 2023.
Ifeanyi Ubah, who represented Anambra South, died in July 2024, Okey Ezea of Enugu North died in November 2025 and Godiya Akwashiki of Nasarawa North died in December 2025.
