Suswam’s hometown loses more members to APC

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship campaign in Benue State at the weekend concluded its campaign tour of Benue North East Senatorial District at Ugbah, Logo council, with the party receiving the largest number of decampees from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

   The venue for the event, LGEA Primary School, Ugba, the headquarters of Logo local council and hometown of Governor Gabriel Suswam was filled to capacity with APC loyalists.

   Chieftains of the party, including its governorship and senatorial candidates, Dr. Ortom and Senator Barnabas Gemade were at the event.

   It was the climax of the tour of the seven local councils visited in the senatorial district during which several people from the PDP and other parties joined the APC.

   Leaders of the supporters who renounced PDP membership and burnt their cards at the occasion, Mr. Mike Kondoun, a former Logo council chairman, and Mr. James Anbua, who won election into the Benue State House of Assembly under the aborted Abacha transition programme, explained that they left the party in solidarity with Ortom and Gemade.

   Anbua applauded the development, recalling that in 1998 he was the one that persuaded majority of Logo people who were in the All Peoples Party (APP), to switch over to the PDP; stressing too that history was repeating itself as the APC, which they just joined has become the preferred choice of most Nigerians.

   In a remark, Senator Gemade said he had special affinity with the people of the area, which started from his father; adding that he would always carry them along in his programmes.

   The state APC Chairman, Abba Yaro, said the large turn out and defection at the occasion shows that Governor Suswam was not in charge in his hometown.

   Yaro and other speakers urged the electorate to obtain and effectively utilize their permanent voters cards to bring change through the ballot, and thereafter protect their votes.

   Addressing the rally, Dr. Ortom lamented the non-payment of salaries and pensions by the present administration in the state, promising that his government would be different.

   The former Minister of State, Industry, Trade, and Investment assured that the APC government under Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari would restore sanity in the society by checking corruption.