By Titus Atondu, Makurdi
Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon. Titus Uba, has emerged as the governorship consensus candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
This followed a painstaking process that involved various segments of the stakeholders of the party in the state.
Determined to retain power in the 2023 general elections in Benue State, the 32 gubernatorial aspirants from the 14 Tiv-speaking local government areas endorsed the Speaker 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 series 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 on Sunday, at the New Banquet Hall of the Benue Peoples House, the aspirants unanimously presented Hon Uba to the Governor as their consensus.
Chairman of the PDP Governorship Aspirants Forum, Barrister Chille Igbawua said 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 commended 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 the 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 nine local government areas for the guber ticket at the party Congress.