The people of Logo and Ukum local government areas of Benue State, on Wednesday, trooped out in multitudes to register support for Gov. Samuel Ortom, former Gov. Gabriel Suswam and other candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the area ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
The event was to kick start Ortom’s re-election campaign tour of local government areas in the state.
At Ukum, it was also an opportunity for the governor to formally receive thousands of All Progressives Congress, APC, decampees into the party.
The decampees were led by a one-time governorship aspirant on the platform of the party, Terver Kakih, and another guber aspirant and former member of the Benue State House of Assembly, Deacon Dan Abbagu.
In both Logo and Ukum, the Governor charged the people to rise up and defend their ancestral land with their votes by casting them for Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, and all other candidates of the party at the elections of February 16th and 2nd March this year.
He warned them strongly against allowing the All Progressives Congress, APC, to retain any presence in the state through the coming election, describing the party as an enclave of affliction and tribulation where it was virtually impossible for his administration to even pay salaries.
Ortom pointed out that since his return to PDP, his administration has been performing creditably well in all areas including paying salaries as at when due, while he is at the same time clearing outstanding arrears being owed workers.
Former Governor and Candidate of the party for the Zone ‘A’ Senatorial seat, Hon. Gabriel Torwua Suswam, on his part charged the people to vote for PDP at the coming elections and reject candidates of all the other political parties.
Suswam emphasised that the main issue at the 2019 election is the security of the lives and properties of the people, pointing to the hostile disposition of APC towards the state in allowing the continuing killings of the people by Fulani herdsmen.
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State Chairman of the PDP, Sir John Ngbede, while receiving the decampees into the party commended them for their wisdom in leaving “the sinking ship” that APC has become, while urging the people to secure their future by voting for PDP at the coming elections.
On his part, Director of the State Campaign Organisation of the party, Pastor Terngu Shawon, enjoined the people of Benue to take maximum advantage offered them by the 2019 elections to free themselves of the affliction that APC rule has become by voting for PDP which he said has shown itself as the most pro-peoples party ever in the history of Nigeria.
Candidate of the party for the Sankera Federal Constituency seat, Comrade Richard Gbande, the Logo State Assembly Candidate, Kuranen Yagba and his Ukum counterpart, Thomas Mlanga, as well as the serving members of the State Assembly for the two local governmemt areas; Terna-kester Kyenge and Hon Paul Biam were among dignitaries that graced the occasion.
Head of Media and Publicity for the Benue PDP State Campaign Team- 2019, Bemgba Iortyom told The Next Edition that the campaign team was poised to move round the state to ensure victory for the party at the polls.
