Social commentator Stanley Nwabia dies at 43

Stanley Nwabia, a popular social commentator on Twitter, has died.

Family sources told PREMIUM TIMES Mr Nwabia died in the early hours of Sunday following an unsuccessful blood transfusion procedure in Lagos. He was 43.

Ojugo Onyeluka (@GentleOjay) told PREMIUM TIMES he spoke with Mr Nwabia’s wife and she confirmed the passing of her husband.

It was not immediately clear why the procedure was necessary for a man who appeared agile and socially adept. His last Tweet was three days ago, indicating he might have fallen ill beyond recovery after that.

“His wife was sobbing uncontrollably,” Mr Onyeluka said. “I was also too emotionally broken to ask him why the transfusion had to be done so urgently.”

Some of his associates have also tweeted confirmation of his passing and hailed him as a courageous political commentator and patriot.

Mr Nwabia is popular amongst supporters of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, which he used his Twitter handle (@MrStanleyNwabia) to champion online. Some of his associates have speculated a kidney failure as the cause of death.

Mr Nwabia’s admiration of the PDP has earned him tremendous respect amongst the opposition commentators online.

His criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress also made him a regular target for ferocious attacks from pro-government social media users.

His online activities included standing as a public relations expert and fixer for PDP politicians.

A native of Abia State, Mr Nwabia was born in Lagos and lived there throughout his life.

He was survived by his wife and four children.