Audu Ogbeh Will Be Missed For Commitment To Governance, Democracy – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed shock over the death of former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Developmen, Chief Audu Ogbeh, saying he would be missed for his unwavering commitment to politics, governance and democracy in Nigeria.

This is contained in a statement signed by Special Assistant on Media to the ex-president, Kehinde Akinyemi, on Saturday.

Ogbeh, who was National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under Obasanjo’s presidency, died on Saturday aged 78, his family disclosed in a statement.

The ex-president praised him as a peace-loving, unassuming, committed patriot and a firm believer in democracy and participatory governance.

Obasanjo said Ogbeh was “a man whose political career stretched from the military era through the present democratic dispensation”.

“To this extent, he was the Deputy Speaker in the Plateau House of Assembly in the 1970s, Minister of Communications from 1982 to 1983, Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from 2001 to 2005, and Minister of Agriculture and Food Security from 2015 to 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,” the statement reads.