Benue 2023: Titus Uba taking the guber ticket back to the people

By Ushahemba Nongu

It is no longer news that the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Titus Tyoapine Uba emerged as the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP at the party’s primaries held on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at the main bowl of the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi.

What has continued to reverberate as newsworthiness about his emergence is the accolades that have trailed the process which has been adjudged by members of the party and other right thinking people as credible, transparent, free, fair and just and satisfactory compliance with extant Electoral Laws of the land.

The Benue PDP guber ticket was keenly contested by Rt Hon Uba and 13 other contestants who were cleared by the party. However, during the primaries, in what will continually be a reference point in our political history, just before the commencement of the internal democratic exercise, 8 out of the 13 guber aspirants came forward and voluntarily pronounced their withdrawal from the race, declaring their support for the State number one lawmaker.

Speaker Uba later went into the final lap of the contest at the primaries with 5 other aspirants and at the close of voting, Chairman of the Electoral Panel, Oyebode Ojomu declared Uba as the winner, having polled 731 out of the total votes cast. He defeated the five other aspirants in the race.

In a distinguishing manner, immediately the results were declared and the entire venue erupted in shouts of joy and songs of victory, the inimitable Uba proceeded straight to where another frontline aspirant for the top job, the State Deputy Governor, Engr. Benson Abounu sat and warmly shook hands with him. That was a clear show of magnanimity in victory, an exemplary attribute that is occasionally lacking in some of our leaders.

Of course, Engineer Abounu himself who was a top guber aspirant that squared up with Uba in the race was gracious in defeat, just like other contestants such as Professor Dennis Ityavyar who embraced and congratulated the victorious Uba, showing that it is not just about personal ambitions, but the overriding interest of the State. The palpable sense of unity to move the State forward could instantly be felt by everyone who observed closely.

A day after the primaries, the Governorship candidate, Uba did not throw a victory party or moved with shoulders high on the streets of the State capital like some kind of hero. He rather took out time to visit his fellow contestants and further sought their cooperation and collaboration for the task ahead. Nothing defines leadership better than a sense of inclusiveness. Here too Uba scores high as by that singular approach, the 2023 gubernatorial hopeful showed that it is only by coming together as a people that a pathway will be created to tackle our challenges.

The helmsman in the State legislature, Rt Hon Titus Uba has brought an unusual stability to bear on the operations of the legislative arm of government. It is common knowledge that presiding over a thirty-member House of Assembly is not a small task, especially given the complex nature of the job and the diversity of backgrounds of highly experienced persons and sophisticated minds representing their various constituencies and their interests across the State.

How Speaker Uba has peacefully piloted the affairs of the State parliament all these years without acrimony or rancour, remains a model to be understudied in legislative governance. No doubt, Uba exudes the leadership comportment that transcends partisan persuasions as evident in his broad mindedness to accommodate all shades of opinions on the floor of the State Assembly chambers.

Speaker Uba, while reacting to his declaration as the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling party in Benue State, rightly affirmed that he considered his emergence “as a responsibility to rally round all Benue people towards uniting and moving the State forward.” A leader who seeks to unite people will definitely govern credibly.

It must be acknowledged at this juncture that Governor Samuel Ortom and his predecessors before him have made commendable strides in laying a foundation for the State which must be built upon. Rt Hon Titus Uba an Engineer by professional background is no doubt, exposed and amply qualified to open new vistas for the State.