Labour Party candidate for the House of Representatives, Owerri Federal Constituency, Dr. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has commiserated with the Opara family of Irete, Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, over the death of their matriarch, Lady Roseline Opara.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu, who is contesting the Owerri Federal Constituency seat in the 2027 general election, paid a condolence visit to the family on Sunday, October 4, 2026, where she joined relatives, friends, church members and well-wishers at a Service of Songs and Tributes held in honour of the deceased.
The visit, according to the Labour Party candidate, was particularly personal because of her longstanding relationship with the deceased’s son, Engr. Emeka Opara, whom she has known since 2011 when they were both actively involved in the Rescue Mission of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
She recalled that they belonged to an inner caucus of the movement known as Hapurum, where she served as the Hapurum for Ward 4, Emeabiam/Okolochi.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu said the political association eventually developed into a genuine friendship that extended beyond politics to their families.
Through Emeka, she said, she also became acquainted with his brother, Rev. Dr. Festus Opara, and other members of the family.
She explained that she therefore attended the Service of Songs not merely as a former political associate, but as a family friend who came to identify with the Opara family at a difficult moment of grief.
Addressing the family, Anyanwu-Akeredolu urged them to take solace in the memories, values and legacy left behind by their mother, grandmother and mother-in-law.
Drawing from her personal experience, she disclosed that she was also an orphan, having lost both parents, and said she understood the emptiness and pain associated with losing a parent.
She described death as an inevitable part of the human journey, noting that while the loss of a parent is painful, being able to lay one’s parents to rest is also a privilege that reflects the natural order of life.
“Death is painful, but one of the prayers we make for our parents is that we will have the privilege of laying them to rest, rather than having them bury us,” she said.
The Labour Party candidate also commended the relatives, friends, church members and other sympathisers who gathered to offer emotional and spiritual support to the bereaved family.
She noted that at moments of grief, the presence of loved ones can provide significant comfort and strength to those mourning.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu prayed that God would grant the Opara family the fortitude to bear the loss, comfort every member of the family and grant the deceased eternal rest.
“She lived, she loved, she nurtured, and she left behind a family and a legacy that will continue to speak for her,” she said.
She was accompanied on the condolence visit by members of the Ada Owere Campaign Organisation, including its Director-General, Prince Joseph Nwosu-Okorie; Director, Contact and Mobilisation, Hon. Eucharia Nwamara (Chimchim); and the Labour Party Chairman, Owerri West Local Government Area, Dr. Jonathan Oparaugo.
