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The APC 2023 Senatorial Candidate for Benue South, Comrade Daniel Onjeh, commenced his grassroots campaign tour of the various Local Government Areas and Council Wards of Benue South yesterday, with a visit to Okpokwu Local Government.

According to a statement by Otunba Gabriel Onuh, the Deputy Director of Media for the Onjeh Campaign Organization (OCO), Com. Onjeh and his team first berthed at the residence of the former President of the Senate, Sen. Ameh Ebute, who led them to the Odessassa Town Hall venue of the Local Government reception, to a massive crowd of excited Onjeh supporters.

Addressing the gathering, Sen. Ebute implored the Okpokwu electorates to give their full support to Com. Onjeh in the coming polls, adding that like he had informed the Benue South people during Onjeh’s formal Council Ward declaration at Orokam prior to the APC Primary Elections last year, they made a huge mistake seven years ago by not voting Com. Onjeh into the Senate. He therefore expressed his earnest hope that they would not repeat the same mistake this time around, while affirming that Onjeh was the best candidate to offer the most effective and efficient representation to the Benue South people at the Senate. 

Sen. Ebute further urged all Okpokwu electorates to cast their votes for APC candidates across the board in the forthcoming General Elections. He appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari for fixing the Otukpo-Okpokwu-Ogbadibo road; the Loko-Oweto Link Road and Bridge, amid several other critical infrastructures in Benue South, and for his numerous social welfare schemes including Trader Moni; Survival Fund; Conditional Cash Transfers; the 1000 Jobs per Local Government Initiative; N-Power Project; Anchor-Borrowers Scheme and COVID-19 Grant. He added that contrary to popular insinuations that the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo (Establishment) Bill was a product of the Senate, it was actually an Executive Bill reintroduced by the current Administration of President Buhari, and subsequently passed into law.

Also speaking at the Occasion, Com. Onjeh pledged that if he gets elected into the 10th Senate, he would rally other senators of like minds to ensure the re-introduction and speedy passage of the Local Government Autonomy Bill, adding that only full-fledged administrative and financial autonomy for local governments can ensure the availability of resources for grassroots infrastructural development.

Onjeh further assured his teeming supporters that if his aspiration sails through, he will be part of the critical mass of Senators in the next political dispensation that will advocate for constitutional amendment, to provide for the rotation of political power amongst the various geopolitical zones of the country, as well as Senatorial Districts of the respective states. He opined that only power rotation can guarantee that a Benue South citizen would govern Benue State in the future.

The Council Wards of Okpokwu Local Government covered by Onjeh and his team yesterday were Ugbokolo, Okonobo, Amejo, Ekeh, Ojigo and Okpele/Igle. As part of the tour, the team met and interacted with the various Ward Heads and Clan Heads, who offered copious prayers for the success of Com. Onjeh’s senatorial ambition.

With Onjeh on the tour of Okpokwu was Chief Philip Agbese, the APC House of Representatives candidate for Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency; Com. Douglas Onyilo, the APC State House of Assembly Candidate for Okpokwu State Constituency; Hon. David Adlugba, former Executive Director of Nigerian Exports Promotion Council; Hon. Julie Obeta, former Okpokwu Local Government Council Chairman; Hon. Esther Robert, the APC Zonal Woman Leader; Hon. Dave Freedom Ode, the Director General, Onjeh Campaign Organization (OCO); Hon. Matthias Omikpa, the Secretary of OCO and a host of other APC Chieftains.