President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former President Olusegun Obasanjo have mourned former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Audu Ogbeh, who died at the age of 78.
According to the President and Chief Obasanjo, the passage of Chief Ogbeh is a huge loss to the people of Benue State and Nigeria in general.
Chief Ogbeh, who died on Saturday, served Nigeria in various capacities, such as Minister of Communications in the Second Republic and later as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development under President Muhammadu Buhari.
Offering his condolences to the government and people of Benue State over the passing of Chief Ogbeh, President Tinubu also commiserated with the late statesman’s family, friends, and associates.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President described Chief Ogbeh as a brilliant mind whose intellectual contributions enriched policy formulation and offered practical solutions to complex national challenges.
He said: “Chief Audu Ogbeh was a patriot whose wisdom, dedication, and pursuit of progress left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s political landscape. He was always ready with facts and figures to back his propositions.
“The nation will sorely miss his insightful perspectives and wealth of experience.”
President Tinubu prayed for the repose of Chief Ogbeh’s soul and for God to comfort upon his family.
His Place Difficult To Fill – Obasanjo
On his part, former President, Chief Obasanjo, who is in Uganda on a visit, described the late Minister as a peace-loving, unassuming, committed patriot and a firm believer in democracy and participatory governance.
Obasanjo said in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, that the former PDP leader was “a man whose political career stretched from the military era through the present democratic dispensation.”
Obasanjo said the late politician’s place will be very difficult to fill within his community, the State, the party and the nation.
“To this extent, he was the Deputy Speaker in Plateau House of Assembly in the 70s, Minister of Communications 1982-1983, Chairman of Peoples Democratic Republic of Nigeria (PDP) 2001-2005 and Minister of Agriculture and Food Security 2015-2019. All of these serve as evidence of his faith in the prospects of participatory politics.
“Ever since, he built for himself, an impressive profile of immense goodwill and affection among his people, as a frontline politician and community leader.
“Chief Audu Ogbeh will be missed for his unwavering commitment to politics, governance and democracy as he made significant contributions to the re-establishment of democracy in Nigeria.
“His place will be very difficult to fill within his community, the State, the Party and the nation.
“May God console his wife and the entire family. May his soul rest in perfect peace.”
A seasoned politician, late Chief Ogbeh began his political career in the 1970s as a legislator and was a founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
