By Titus Atondu, Makurdi
Benue state Governor, Samuel Ortom has expressed grief over the demise of the second republic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Benjamin Chacha.
In a press statement signed by Nathaniel Ikyur, Chief Press Secretary and made available to Nigerian NewsDirect over the weekend, Ortom lamented that the state has lost a father figure.
Chief Chacha was the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the short lived second term-tenure of President Shehu Shagari’s administration in 1983 which was overthrown by a military coup led by General Muhammadu Buhari.
The Governor in a tribute to the elder statesman, noted that “Chief Chacha was one of the pathfinders and father who nurtured and groomed the present generation of political leaders. He was a man who lived in humility and simplicity without affluence.
“In him (Chacha), Benue state has lost a father figure. We have lost a respected elder statesman who was always there to give wise counsel to the young ones. His death has created a huge vacuum for us,” Ortom explained.
The Governor described him as a fine gentleman who practiced politics of inclusiveness and without bitterness.
He said chief Chacha “will be remembered for his benevolence, humility and unwavering commitment to the ideals of nationhood.”
Governor Ortom pointed out that though the late Parliamentarian hailed from Benue state, “it is on record that as Speaker of the House of Representatives, he took the entire nation as he constituency and neither segregated nor discriminated against any one on account of tribe or religion.”
He prayed that the good Lord grant him eternal rest and give the immediate family the fortitude to bear the loss.