A group, under the aegis of Presidential Campaign Coalition in Benue State has commended the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, and other eminent members of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state for ensuring that electorates votes en masse for President Muhammadu Buhari at the just concluded presidential polls.
The group in a statement made available to Journalists in Abuja by its directorate of field operations in the state, Comrade Dominic Alancha, hailed Ogbe’s disposition, astuteness and resourcefulness throughout the campaigning and electioneering period which mobilized huge public trust for APC and President Buhari in Benue state.
According to the group, Ogbeh propagated the frugality and coherent political philosophy of President Buhari across the 23 local government areas of Benue state thereby forging a direct cordial link with voters at the grassroots.
Buhari got a total of 347, 668 votes as declared by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The coalition explained that with the votes, Benue people have justified their support and love for President Buhari, contrary to the vicious campaign of calumny by main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to set the president and the Benue people against themselves.
The statement further reads: ‘’Who would have expected even ten per cent of the total votes cast to be in favour of President Buhari, given the relentless mudslinging by the opposition PDP to strip the President of public goodwill, obfuscate issues and cast him in bad light before the Benue people.
‘’Were it not for the wanton vote buying, intimidation, violence and massive rigging by the opposition PDP, President Buhari would have recorded far higher number of votes beyond the votes stolen by the opposition PDP.
‘’The truth is President Buhari actually won the election in Benue State going by the popular will of the people but was also rigged by the opposition in order to satisfy their callousness and cheap political blackmail against the President. Again, we thank the Benue People for this feat and show of love.”
The coalition said after the Presidential polls, Ogbeh had called on the Benue People to vote massively for the APC at the gubernatorial polls scheduled for March 9, 2019.
It also said that Ogbeh encouraged the Benue people to vote the Jime/Ode and all APC state assembly candidates in order to position the state in the mainstream politics of Nigeria where the ruling APC has already won the central national government, rather than placing Benue State on the narrow path of needless opposition politics.
