Daud Olatunji
A former Minister of Agriculture and one-time National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Audu Ogbeh, has recounted his narrow escape from an assassination attempt during his tenure as party chairman.
Speaking at a public event broadcast by TVC on Tuesday, Ogbeh provided a rare glimpse into the perilous nature of political leadership in Nigeria.
Ogbeh, who held the position of PDP national chairman from 2001 to January 2005 and served as the Minister of Communications in the Nigerian Second Republic from 1982 to 1983, revealed that the chairpersons of political parties often lack the influence over governance that many Nigerians assume they possess.
He emphasised that even with the high-ranking title, political party chairmen have limited control over elected officials.
“Party chairmen are seen as mere beggars from the party’s headquarters,” Ogbeh stated.
“Their job becomes even more difficult after the election. They have no control over the elected president, the senators, or the governors, even if they are from their own party.
When issues arise and you try to draw the attention of the president, he simply tells you that he is the party leader.”
In a chilling account of his own experience, Ogbeh described how armed men were dispatched to his residence with the intent to eliminate him.
“A Land Rover was sent to my house to pick me up. I was later informed that the plan was to take me to the bush, shoot me, and bury me there,” he narrated.
Ogbeh said he was fortunately not at home when the assailants arrived.
He added that days later, a concerned individual warned him to leave the country immediately for his safety.
“I have had a very nasty experience; I nearly got killed,” Ogbeh said. “It is not as fine as it looks when we discuss these matters at seminars. You can’t control much as the party chairman.”
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