All three senators representing the three senatorial districts of Benue state today expressed their support for the presidential candidate of the PDP Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

This is coming on the heels of the endorsement of the Labour Party Presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi by the Benue state governor Chief Samuel Ortom last week.

The three Benue senators are former governor of Benue state Senator Gabriel Suswam representing Benue’s northeast district, Senator Emmanuel Yisa Orker Jev representing Benue’s north-west district and senator Patrick Abba Moro representing Benue’s south senatorial district.

Reading from a statement jointly signed by all three senators, they called “on all Benue people to vote for PDP candidates beginning from Atiku Abubakar as President and all PDP senatorial and house of representative candidates”.

In the same vein, the PDP national chairman Dr Iyorchia Ayu also addressed journalists in his Makurdi residence at Nyiman Layout and implored the Benue of Benue state to vote for Atiku Abubakar.

Ayu who was in the company of Professor Iyorwuese Hagher, a Director of the PDP presidential campaign council said that he “salutes the Benue people for their patience and resilience to endure hardship and bad governance of the last eight years.

According to Ayu, “on the eve of this historic election, I wish to call on my state’s people to elect the PDP Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, our governorship candidate Rt Hon Titus Uba and our candidates in the various positions…Atiku is a friend of Benue. Voting for him will be the best thing for all of us”.

Ironically, Governor Samuel Ortom alongside the G-5 governors led by Rivers state governor Nyesom Wike was embroiled in controversy over the nomination of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and called for the resignation of the PDP chairman.

Ortom endorsed Peter Obi and directed all his appointees to support the Labour Party Presidential candidate. In Benue state, the PDP is going into the election with their support divided between Obi and Atiku. (The Guardian)

•Atiku Abubakar speaking to the crowd during the PDP’s rally at the Ranchers Bees Stadium in Kaduna.

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