Audu Ogbeh’s death, a personal loss, says Ngige, laments that “negative forces of retardation” did not allow him to release all his potential energy as a farmer and intellectual for the benefit of Nigeria.
By Emma Ogbuehi
Former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Nwabueze Ngige, has lamented how those he called “negative forces of retardation” did not allow late Chief Audu Ogbeh to release all his potential energy as a farmer and intellectual for the benefit of Nigeria.
Chief Ogbeh, former Minister of Communication in the Second Republic and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in late President Muhammadu Buhari’s first term died on Saturday.
Reminiscing on their times together, Ngige, who was also Minister of Labour and Productivity under Buhari said Ogbeh’s death marks the end of an era “because the political class and the nation have lost a rare gem – a man of great integrity, with great vision and mission.”
In an emotion-laden tribute which he personally signed, Ngige recounted the role played by Ogbeh in saving Anambra State from anarchy “when some miscreants and roguish elements in the PDP” from the State in collaboration with the powers that be in Abuja and using the Nigeria Police decided to kidnap him and fake his resignation from office.
Audu Ogbeh was the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the time. For his efforts, President Olusegun Obasanjo forced him to resign, a fate he willingly accepted “asserting that the PDP under his watch could not afford to attend the funeral of one of her governors due to the party keeping quiet so that evil can triumph over good.”
Ngige lamented that the void created by Ogbeh’s exit will always be felt, because men of his quality are scarce in Nigeria.
The statement titled, “The death of Hon. Innocent Audu Ogbeh – 1947 – 2025: The end of an era,” reads in full:
“With the transition of Hon. Innocent Audu Ogbe, Nigeria has lost one of its finest… a patriot, statesman and an intellectual with a lot of integrity and above all, one that can speak truth to power, at all times.
“I had met him in 1982, when as a very young man – Federal Minister – he was the best man at a wedding of a mutual friend, late Engr. Mark Okoye, then Hon. Minister FCT (State) held in Enugu.
“We met again in 1998 after the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Alex Ekwueme for President Campaign Organisation (ALEPCO) where he served as the pioneer Director General, till the gruesome armed robbery attack that incapacitated him, removing him from the campaigns.
“By providence he later became the National Chairman of the party – PDP – in 2002. With this position he reinvigorated the party, ensured a clean, free and fair primaries throughput the 36 states for the 2003 national elections.
“In 2003, I benefited from this clean process and was through the Lord’s doing governor of my state Anambra. He was therefore the National Chairman of the PDP when some miscreants and roguish elements in the PDP from my State in collaboration with the powers that be in Abuja and using the Nigeria Police decided to kidnap me and fake my resignation from office.
“Audu and the then Vice President refused to join my traducers on that fateful July 10, 2003. Instead, I was restored to my office on the instructions of the then VP Atiku Abubakar to the IGP Tafa Balogun. Audu Ogbe and Atiku stood behind me like the rock of Gibraltar, shielding me from unwanted harassment especially within the party and in the presidency.
“This precipitated his famous letter to the then President Gen OO Obasanjo where he alerted and advised the President on the dangers and implications of his withdrawal of the full Security from me, a sitting Governor, whom the Constitution has designated as the Chief Security Officer of the State.
“He advised the President to call the traducers to order as they’re known and have committed arson and destruction of government property especially the Governor’s Office and Lodge which they had bombed with an intent to kill me.
“Obasanjo replied the letter and declared the Chairman a persona non grata and called for Ogbeh’s resignation. Audu did not mind tendering his resignation, he did so immediately, asserting that the PDP under his watch could not afford to attend the funeral of one of her governors due to the party keeping quiet so that evil can triumph over good. He lost his seat and the replacement Col Senator Ahmadu Ali commenced the hatchet job process of my suspension and later expulsion from the PDP within 3 months!!
“I and Audu again met during our formation of AC in 2006 and later ACN. We kept faith in the party till its fusion with others to amalgamate into the APC. We kept our friendship alive and we later found ourselves being appointed ministers by our amiable late President Muhammadu Buhari in the first cabinet 2015 – 2019.
“Passionate about agriculture as a farmer, he put in his all as the Minister of Agriculture to change the face of Agriculture in Nigeria, more so when the cabinet had ratified the policy of local content and Nigeria eating what we grow and growing what we eat with no importation of food in order to protect our local farmers.
“At any of our meetings, Audu will regale me with stories on the success of his programmes in agriculture especially the Anchor Borrowers Programme for rice and other crops.
“We also found ourselves worshipping in the same parish in Church of Assumption Asokoro as ardent Catholics. So opportunities for us to meet often was always there even as he didn’t come into the second Federal Executive Council (2019 -2023).
“His death is, therefore, a personal loss to me, having enjoyed an intimate contact and friendship with him from our ALEPCO days in 1998. Just recently in April 2025, we attended in his Asokoro home the one-year memorial service and ceremony for his late daughter and we discussed death and all its pranks, not knowing it was also laying an ambush for Audu to snatch him on August 9.
“So with the death of Ogbe, it is the end of an era because the political class and the nation have lost a rare gem – a man of great integrity, with great vision and mission but whom the negative forces of retardation did not allow to release all his potential energy as a farmer and intellectual for the benefit of Nigeria.
“The void created by his exit will always be felt, for men of his quality are scarce in Nigeria. My condolence goes to the family and the government and people of Benue State.
“May God Almighty grant his soul eternal rest and comfort his family.”
