By Yemi Itodo
Benue State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has congratulated Rt. Hon. Titus Tyoapine Uba, over his emergence as Governorship Candidate of the party at its State Congress held in Makurdi.
The Benue State House of Assembly Speaker won the majority of votes cast by delegates at the gubernatorial primary election of the party held at the Aper Aku stadium on Wednesday and was declared candidate for the governorship election scheduled to hold in 2023.
In a statement signed by the state publicity secretary of PDP, Bemgba Iortyom Wednesday night, the party described as credible, the result of the election in which Engr. Uba scored 731 votes out of a total of 851 accredited votes to emerge victorious over the incumbent deputy governor, Engr. Benson Abounu with 81 votes, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar 2 votes, Barr. Paul Angya and Rt. Hon. Dominic Ucha with a vote each, and Engr. Benjamin Akaakar with no vote in the field of 6 aspirants.
“The party acknowledges and deeply appreciates the sacrifice and magnanimity shown by the other aspirants who stepped down from the race to fast-track a rancour free process of nominating a Guber Candidate.
“Those noble party stalwarts who sacrificed their ambitions and at the venue of the primaries openly professed deference to the supremacy of the party, include, Chairman of the Forum of PDP Governorship Aspirants, Barr. Chille Igbawua and 7 others, among them Mrs. Susan Nguveren Waya.
“Our great party specially appreciates its leader, His Excellency, Governor Samuel Ortom, national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, former Senate President, Dr. David Mark, Senators Gabriel Suswam, Emmanuel Orker-Jev and Abba Moro, BoT member, Mrs. Margaret Icheen, Members of the House of Representatives, the State Assembly, the G-14 and G-9 groups of elders as well as stakeholders of the party.
“We hail the resilience and undying faith of our teeming members in the state, being it the spine of the party, which has seen it emerge victorious from one election year to another in the state since it was founded in 1998”, the statement added.
It further stressed that PDP in Benue state remained reliant on the unity of purpose among its leaders and members, “such as has engendered a mature internal democracy culture, the sort that gave birth to the free, fair and transparent primary election today which, surely is the envy of our opponents, yet unattainable to them”.
