Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed deep shock and sadness over the passing of former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and ex-National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Audu Ogbeh, who died on Saturday at the age of 78.
In a condolence message issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo — currently on a visit to Uganda — described Ogbeh as a peace-loving, unassuming, and patriotic leader with an unwavering belief in democracy and participatory governance.
“Chief Audu Ogbeh was a man whose political career stretched from the military era through the present democratic dispensation,” Obasanjo said. “He served as Deputy Speaker in the Plateau State House of Assembly in the 1970s, Minister of Communications from 1982 to 1983, National Chairman of the PDP between 2001 and 2005, and Minister of Agriculture and Food Security from 2015 to 2019 — all of which attest to his faith in the prospects of participatory politics.”
The former president praised Ogbeh for building an “impressive profile of goodwill and affection” among his people, noting his role as both a frontline politician and a respected community leader.
“Chief Audu Ogbeh will be missed for his unwavering commitment to politics, governance, and democracy,” Obasanjo said. “He made significant contributions to the re-establishment of democracy in Nigeria, and his place will be very difficult to fill within his community, the state, the party, and the nation.”
Obasanjo prayed for God to comfort Ogbeh’s wife, family, and loved ones, and for the late statesman’s soul to rest in perfect peace.
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