No selection of governorship aspirants, says Benue PDP

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) board of trustees and caucus leader of the party in the Benue south senatorial zone, General Geoffrey Ejiga, has dismissed a recent publication alleging that the senatorial zone has endorsed three aspirants to contest the state’s governorship election.

He said such no decision was taken at any meeting.

Ejiga, who spoke to reporters over the phone on Wednesday, made it clear that the caucus of the party only met and resolved that a another meeting would be held to reduce the number of aspirants from the zone.

In a related development, one of the aspirants to the governorship position, Mrs Ada Chenge, condemned the report, describing it as a tissue of lies and alleging that the publication was a sponsored attempt at reducing her growing profile to emerge as the PDP candidate in the primary.

The publication, which is causing controversy in the state, had stated that the trio of the incumbent deputy governor, Chief Steven Lawani; former commissioner in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Barrister Paul Harris Ogbole; and former medical director of the Federal Medical Centre Makurdi, Dr Mathias Oyigheya had been selected at a meeting of stakeholders in the zone to vie for the governorship position.

“I am surprised by the publication and I wish to state that no such meeting was held. The only attempt to hold a meeting was at the endorsement of the senate president in Otukpo when he called on all the aspirants from the zone to begin to meet so as to come out with a single aspirant that will brighten the chances of the zone in the election,” Chenge said.

“After his advice, we made attempt to meet twice but owing to one thing or the other, we were unable to do so. So it’s strange to hear that we have chosen some aspirants.”

She advised journalists to check their facts well before publishing, and also affirmed that she remained the aspirant to beat in the forthcoming PDP primary.

The only female aspirant in the race for the PDP ticket said she intends contesting for the position “in order to turn around the socioeconomic as well as the educational, health and agricultural potential of the state”.

The buildup to the 2015 governorship election in Benue state has thrown up a new interest, as the predominant Idoma speaking ethnic group of the southern senatorial zone has insisted that the position should be zoned to the area since it has not occupied the position before.

Five aspirants from the zone have indicated interest in the race for the PDP ticket.Those interested are Mrs Ada Chenge, Chief Steven Lawani, Barrister Paul Ogbole, Dr Mathias Oyigheya and the former minister of state for Niger Delta, Dr Sam Ode.