By Chuks Eke
One-time Governor of Anambra state and Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige, OON, CON has expressed rude shock of the demise of former National Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP and Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Innocent Audu Ogbe, saying that his death on August 9 was a personal loss to him.
In his condolence message titled: “The death of Hon. Innocent Audu Ogbe 1947 – 2025: The end of an era, Ngige lamented that with the transition of 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.
According to Ngige in the condolence message personally signed by himself and made available to newsmen via WhatsApp, “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 People’s Democratic Party, PDP in the Alex Ekwueme for President Campaign Organisation, ALEPCO where he served as the pioneer Director General”.
“Until 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 and with this position, he reinvigorated the party, ensured a clean, free and fair Primaries throughout the 36 states for the 2003 National elections”.
“In 2003, I benefited from this clean process and was through the Lords 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 Atiku Abubakar stood their ground and refused to join my traducers on that fateful day, 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 Olusegun Obasanjo where he alerted and advised the President on the dangers and implications of his withdrawal of the full Security details from me as a sitting Governor, whom the Constitution has designated as the Chief Security Officer, CSO of the state”.
“He advised the President to call the traducers to order as they’re known and have comitted arson and destruction of Government property especially the Governor’s office and Lodge which they had bombed with an intent to kill me.Obasanjo had replied the letter and declared the Chairman as persona non grata and called for Ogbes resignation”.
“For sake of me, 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, Co l Sen Ahmad Ali commenced the hatchet job process of my suspension and later expulsion from the PDP within 3 months”.
“Audu and I, again met during our formation of Action Congress, AC in 2006 and later Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. We kept faith in the party till its fusion with others to amalgamate into the present All Progressives Congress, APC”.
“We kept our friendship alife to the extent that 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, Audu 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 my meeting, Audu will regal 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 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 2nd Federal Ex Council 2019 -2023. His death is therefore a personal loss to me, having enjoyed an intimate contact and frienddhip 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 her late daughter and we discussed death and all its pranks, not knowing it was also laying an ambush for Audu to snatch him from us”.
“So with the death of Ogbe, it’s 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 her country, 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”.
