Benue 2023: Ortom’s deputy, speaker now last men standing for PDP ticket

He will be contending the guber ticket with the incumbent Deputy Governor, Engr. Benson Abounu, who had earlier emerged as the sole candidate of the Idoma people of Benue South.

The People of Benue South have been agitating for governorship as no single Idoma person has occupied the number one seat since 46 years of the creation of Benue State.

At an expanded meeting of the party’s caucus for the Tiv speaking area held at the New Banquet Hall of People’s House, Makurdi, on Sunday, stakeholder blocs of the party endorsed Uba as the preferred candidate from Vandeikya LGA where the same caucus had earlier zoned the governorship ticket to.

Stakeholder blocs that conveyed endorsement of the State Assembly Speaker include the Vandeikya PDP Elders Forum, G-14 Group of Elders, Benue State House of Assembly Tiv PDP Caucus, Local Government Council Chairmen and Benue PDP 2023 Governorship Aspirants Forum members from the Tiv speaking area.

Senators Gabriel Suswam and Emmanuel Orker-Jev, PDP Board of Trustees member, Chief Mrs Margaret Icheen and Tiv speaking members of the House of Representatives on the platform of the party from the state also lent their support for the endorsement of Rt. Hon. Uba.

Following the endorsement from the various stakeholder blocs, the party affirms that the process received the blessings of the 5 intermediate areas of the Tiv speaking area, namely: Jechira, Kwande, Sankera, Jemgbagh and Minda which were represented by Elder David Amo, Chief Mrs Margaret Icheen, Ambassador Iyorwuese Hagher, Dr Laha Dzever and Rt. Hon. Cletus Upaa respectively.

The endorsement of Rt. Hon. Titus Uba as consensus candidate for the governorship ticket of PDP in the Tiv-speaking area was validated by co-contestants with him in the race from the area who in their remarks through their Forum Chairman, Hon. Barr. Chille Igbawua, gave their blessings to the process and pledged their support to it and to our great party.

In his acceptance remarks, Rt. Hon. Uba expressed utmost appreciation for being chosen among many and called on co-aspirants as well as all stakeholders and members of the party to come together in unity of purpose towards the objective of winning victory in the 2023 elections.

On behalf of Benue PDP, State Deputy Chairman, Hon. Isaac Mffo acknowledged the process as transparent, detailed and thorough enough to attract the party’s approval as a credible way forward towards winning victory in the 2023 elections in the state.

Leader of PDP in the state, Governor Samuel Ortom, lauded the process and appreciated all stakeholders for their untiring efforts which resulted in the endorsement, with particular plaudits reserved for the governorship aspirants whom he said showed a rare sense of loyalty and sacrifice for the larger interest of the party.

Governor Ortom called on all hands to remain on deck as more efforts are required to navigate the way through to an eventual consensus candidate for the party in the state.