A former governorship aspirant in Akwa Ibom state, Okon Iyanam, is dead.

He was shot dead by unknown gunmen on Wednesday night at his hotel in Mowe, Ogun state.

Victor Iyanam, a former attorney general in Akwa Ibom state, and the elder brother to the late politician and businessman, confirmed the incident in a statement he issued, Thursday morning.

“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the tragic death of my brother, Okon, in the early hours of Wednesday, 27th June, 2018.

“Okon papa had just recently opened his new Heritage Hotels and Resorts in Mowe, Ogun State where he spent most of his time trying to stabilise the management and sales techniques. While a birthday party was going on in the hotel, some men, suspected to be either armed robbers or hired assassins crashed into the place at about 12.30 a.m. with sporadic gun shots.

“They asked for the owner. When he was eventually identified, he was shot at close range in the neck region. He stood no chance. He died instantly.

“The Police first Responders then deposited his body in a Morgue.

“I rushed to Lagos upon the information delivered to me and confirmed for myself, the level of wickedness anybody could deliver to a man whose only crime was working hard for his livelihood,” the brother said.

Late Mr Iyanam contested for the governorship ticket of the Accord Party for the 2015 election in Akwa Ibom.

Before his venture into politics, he had served as an executive director in Mike Adenuga’s Globacom Nig Ltd, Lagos.

After his failed attempt at politics, late Mr Iyanam was said to have spent more time growing his private businesses in Lagos, Ogun, and other parts of the country. The hotel where he was reportedly killed is said to have been built a few months ago by him.

“An end unforeseen, of a political stormy petrel and cerebral social commentator. An untimely departure too painful to comprehend. It is night in the morning as the sun refuses to rise.

“Rest on Okon!” One Philip Umoren, a Facebook friend to the late businessman, wrote on the social media site, Thursday morning.