Cross River lawmaker dies during morning jog

The lawmaker died on a routine jog of what is suspected to be cardiac arrest.

The lawmaker representing Obudu Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Steven Ukpukpen  (The Punch)

Steven Ukpukpen, the representative of Obudu constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, has died while on a morning jog on Wednesday, May 30, 2018.

According to a report by the Vanguard, Ukpukpen slumped while on a routine jog along Moore Road in Calabar, close to Central Bank of Nigeria, around 7am on Wednesday.

After being initially taken to nearby Navy Clinic, the lawmaker was transferred to a private hospital after he was assessed to be in critical condition. He died at the hospital due to what has been reported to be sudden cardiac arrest.

Speaker of the House, Hon. John Gaul-Lebo, was shocked by the development and promised to issue a statement on the incident after meeting with the family of the deceased.

"I am still in shock. I do not know what to say,"he said.

Ukpukpen's corpse has been taken to the Anatomy Unit of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).