Member of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Audu Ogbe, has disclosed that the governorship candidate of the party in Benue State, Chief Dr Samuel Ortom, has the formula to tackle the challenges confronting the state.
He spoke at the flag off of the party’s governorship, state and national assemblies’ campaigns for Benue South senatorial district in Otukpo today.
Chief Ogbe, a former Minister and national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stated that as a successful industrialist Chief Dr Ortom possessed the key to solving the state’s most nagging problem which he said was unemployment.
He described the PDP as a mega mafia that has deviated from the dreams of the founding fathers and was pandering to the whims and caprices of a few at the expense of the majority and appealed to the people to vote for all APC candidates at the forthcoming polls in order to effect change in the fortunes of the country.
He lamented that while Nasarawa and Osun states which receive far less federal allocation than Benue are able to discharge their financial responsibilities to their people salaries and pensions remain unpaid in the state while other essential services have also ceased.
The Senator representing Benue North East, Senator Barnabas Gemade, regretted that a few have cornered the PDP for their selfish interests and were diverting the wealth of the nation into their private pockets and urged the people to vote out such people.
Senate Minority Leader, Senator Dr George Akume stated that the PDP controlled federal government has failed in its responsibility to secure lives and property hence the need for the people to vote for APC for change.
Senator Akume who represents Benue North East Senatorial District said at the state level the PDP has run the ship of the state aground resulting in non payment of salaries and pensions as well as general collapse of all sectors hence the need for change.
Governorship candidate, Chief Dr Ortom said if given the mandate his administration would strive to add value on all sectors of the economy but priority attention will be given to industrialization, attraction of investment into the state as well as boosting of commercial and trading activities in order to generate jobs and wealth.
The politicians earlier paid a courtesy call on the Idoma Area Traditional Council where the Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty, Dr Elias Ikoyi Obekpa, represented by Ada Oju, Ambassador Augustin Ogbu, urged them to pursue their ambitions in a peaceful manner.