Coordinator, Benue Voters in Diaspora (BVD), Chief Bright Igodo Ogaji, has predicted the presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to emerge winner at the 25th February election in Benue State.
The PDP presidential candidate and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had held his campaign rally in Makurdi, the state capital Monday evening, after series of postponement, which was not unconnected to the rift between Governor Samuel Ortom and the national leadership of the party, with Benue born Senator Iyorchia Ayu as the national chairman and Atiku as the party’s flag bearer.
Ortom is a critical figure amongst the G-5 Governors of PDP who are disgruntled with the national leadership of the party.
Speaking with newsmen on Monday shortly after the PDP presidential rally, Chief Ogaji, who was a Benue South Senatorial aspirant in the May 2022 primaries of the party, said, contrary to opinions from some quarters, Atiku would poll over one million votes from Benue State.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed total registered voters in Benue State to be 2.7 million.
According to Chief Ogaji, the turnout at Atiku’s rally in Makurdi and the level of “mobilization” by various PDP stakeholders both home and in diaspora, is a testament that the PDP’s candidate would sweep Benue at the poll.
He said, “I have seen the level of love and acceptability from the people. With what I saw today at the rally, Atiku is the man to beat and nothing would stop Benue people from giving him over a million votes.
“I know it’s very difficult to believe, owing to what people have been saying and hearing about Benue, but the power lies with the voters. You can see from the massive turnout today and I kid you not, we the registered voters in the diaspora are also mobilizing our people at home to give their support to Atiku Abubakar. He is the best for now.
“Some of our members who registered in Lagos, Abuja and other areas of resident before leaving Nigeria, have already transferred their voting power to Benue. For some of us, we registered right here in Benue and our PVCs are in thousands, we shall speak with one voice, come 25th February, 2023 and return Atiku as our next President. Benue has always been delivering for PDP and this time around, it’s going to be massive, unprecedented”.
The US based Philanthropist and former Chairman, Oju Local Government Council, added that, “unlike in 2019, when PDP’s Atiku polled 355,355 against the APC’s 347,668; the people of Benue would give the PDP’s candidate a landslide votes, over one million votes is guaranteed for him”.
To make it a reality, Ogaji said all members of BVD from various countries would be arriving Nigeria and Benue State in the coming days, for what he described as “aggressive grassroots mobilization for Atiku and PDP”.
