Determined to retain power in the 2023 general elections in Benue State the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leaders from the Tiv speaking 14 Local Government areas of the State have settled for the the speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon Titus Uba.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary, to the Benue State Governor, Nathaniel Ikyur, indicated that Uba emerged as the governorship consensus candidate for the PDP following a painstaking process that involved various segments of the stakeholders of the party in the state.
He said Uba also got the endorsements of the 32 gubernatorial aspirants from the 14 Tiv speaking local government areas.
According to the statement the endorsement of the Benue Speaker came after he was selected by the Kunav leaders of Vandeikya local government and accepted by both the Sankera, Jemgbagh and MINDA political elders.
“The gubernatorial aspirants took the unanimous decision following serries of stakeholders meetings involving mediations by the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom and other leaders of the party in the state.
“At the meeting of stakeholders from the 14 Tiv speaking local government areas held Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at the New Banquet Hall of the Benue Peoples House, the aspirants unanimously presented Hon Uba to the Governor as their consensus.
The statement quoted the chairman of the PDP Governorship Aspirants Forum, Barrister Chille Igbawua to have indicated though the process was tedious, they had accepted the choice of Uba as presented by the people of Kunav.
Governor Ortom charged the consensus candidate to work with the aspirants and visit them individually in order to convince them to work for him and also share their manifestos with him.
In separate remarks, Senators representing Benue North East and North West, Gabriel Suswam and Orker Jev respectively, commended the process as mid-wifed by the Governor, even as he also acknowledged the aspirants for their resilience and cooperation.
Receiving the consensus candidate on behalf of the party, state Deputy Chairman of the PDP, Hon Isaac Mfo thanked the Governor for consulting widely to arrive at the consensus by the Tiv speaking areas, stressing that aspirants also exhibited high level of patience as the process lasted.
Hon Uba will now contend with the deputy governor, Engr Benson Abounu who emerged as the consensus candidate for the 9 local government areas from Benue South Senatorial District for the guber ticket at the party Congress.