Following a recent publication in a national daily alleging that the Benue Southern Senatorial Zone have endorsed three aspirant from the zone to vie for the 2015 governorship election in Benue, a member of the People Democratic Party (PDP) board of trustee and the caucus Leader of the party in the Benue south senatorial zone General Geoffrey Ejiga has refuted the publication saying that as the leader of the caucus such decision was not taking at the said meeting.
Ejiga who spoke to reporters on phone yesterday said the caucus of the party only met and resolved that a further meeting be held to trim down the number of aspirants from the zone but added that such meeting was yet to hold.
In the same vain one of the aspirant jostling for the position Dr Mrs Ada Chenge condemned the report while describing it as a tissue of lies, claiming that the publication is a sponsored attempt at reducing her ever growing profile to emerge the People Democratic Party (PDP)candidate in the primary.
The publication which is causing ripple in the camp of the PDP in the state had alleged that the trio of the incumbent Deputy Governor of Benue State Chief Steven Lawani,Former Commissioner in the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) Barrister Paul Harris Ogbole and the Former Medical Director of the Federal Medical Center Makurdi Dr Mathias Oyigheya have been selected by a meeting of stakeholders in the zone to vie for the position.
According to Chenge no such meeting was held and it was surprising to see in the papers that some aspirants have been chosen.”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 they aspirant from the zone to begin to meet so as to come out with a single aspirant that will brighting the chances of the zone in the election,after his advise we made attempt to meet twice but due 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 writers to cross check facts before publishing while also insisting that she remained the aspirant to beat in the up coming PDP primary.
The only female aspirant in the race for the PDP ticket said she is contesting for the position in order to turn around the socio- economic as well as the educational,health and agricultural potentials of the state.
The rundown to the 2015 governorship election in Benue state has thrown up a huge interest as the predominant Idoma speaking tribe of the southern senatorial zone have insisted that the position should be zoned to the area since they have never occupied the position before since the creation of the state.
Five aspirants from the zone have indicated interest in the race for the PDP ticket.Those interested are Engineer Mrs Ada Chenge,Chief Steven Lawani,Barrister Paul Ogbole,Dr Mathias Oyigheya and the Former Minister of State Niger Delta Dr Sam Ode.
