President Bola Tinubu and former President Olusegun Obasanjo have led a wave of tributes to Chief Audu Ogbeh, the former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, who died peacefully on Saturday aged 78.
In a statement, the Ogbeh family confirmed his passing, describing him as a man who “departed peacefully, leaving behind a legacy of integrity, service, and dedication to our nation and community.” Funeral arrangements will be announced later.
Born in Otukpo, Benue State, Ogbeh was educated at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of Toulouse, France. He began his political career in 1979 as Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, later serving as Minister of Communications and Minister of Steel Development before the 1983 military coup.
After a period in private agriculture — running rice mills, cashew plantations and consultancy projects — he returned to public service, participating in the National Constitutional Conference and the National Reconciliation Committee in the 1990s. A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, he was its National Chairman from 2001 to 2005, resigning after opposing Obasanjo’s third-term bid. He later joined the All Progressives Congress and served as agriculture minister under Muhammadu Buhari.
Tinubu, in a tribute through his Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga, praised Ogbeh’s “wisdom, dedication and pursuit of progress” and his ability to back arguments with “facts and figures”. “The nation will sorely miss his insightful perspectives and wealth of experience,” he said.
Obasanjo, speaking from Uganda, called him a “peace-loving, unassuming, committed patriot” whose political career spanned from the military era to the current democratic dispensation. “His place will be very difficult to fill within his community, the state, the party and the nation,” he said.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki described Ogbeh as “a voice of reason and a heart of service”, while Northern States Governors’ Forum chair, Inuwa Yahaya, called him “a towering political figure” and “a statesman of uncommon intellect”. Benue State governor Hyacinth Alia said he lived “a successful and fulfilled life” and would be remembered with respect.
Former Delta State governor James Ibori lauded Ogbeh’s integrity as PDP chairman. “He was not about money or bribes; he upheld internal democracy in the party,” Ibori said, recalling how Ogbeh refused to act on instructions to block his 2003 candidacy.
Across political divides, the tributes painted the portrait of a man whose career bridged parties, decades and political transitions — and whose absence, many agreed, leaves a void in Nigeria’s political life.
