Eight PDP supporters die in auto crash on way to campaign rally

No fewer than eight people were feared dead in a fatal accident involving supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State yesterday

The accident occurred on Otukpo- Agatu Road in the state while the party supporters were travelling to Agatu for the flag-off of Abba Morro senatorial campaign for the 2019 elections.

Abba Moro, a former Minister of Interior, is the PDP senatorial candidate for Benue South.

The accident occurred at about 10 am.

An eyewitness said the multiple accident occurred when the tyre of one of the buses conveying some PDP supporters burst and it veered off the road.

Other buses conveying party supporters were then said to have rammed into one another, resulting in the high casualty figure.

Benue State governor Samuel Ortom and Senator David Mark yesterday visited injured victims at St Francis Hospital in Adoka, Otukpo Local Government Area.

The accident also forced Abba Morro who is the PDP senatorial candidate to cancel the flag-off campaign scheduled to hold in Agatu, Benue South.

Our correspondent learnt yesterday that some of the victims were certified dead at St. Charles Catholic Hospital Adoka and deposited at the morgue of General Hospital in Otukpo while injured survivors were being treated in Adoka at the time of filing this report.

Governor Samuel Ortom, who visited the hospital in Adoka in company with former Senate President David Mark and the Deputy Governor, Engineer Benson Abounu, announced indefinite postponement of the PDP senatorial campaigns flag-off in Zone C.

The Governor described the incident as painful and unfortunate, saying it was a huge loss to the entire PDP family in the state.

Read also: BUHARI: We’ll go tougher on corruption from 2019

He also directed the immediate evacuation of the survivors to Benue State University Teaching Hospital Makurdi for further treatment, stressing that cases requiring further referrals outside the state would be handled accordingly.

Describing the development as unfortunate, Governor Ortom commiserated with the bereaved families and PDP on the loss of their loved ones.

Senator Mark, who also consoled the affected families, lamented that most of the victims were very promising youths within his senatorial district and prayed God to grant the deceased eternal rest.

On his part, the member representing Obi/Oju Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon Samson Okwu, described the incident as painful, saying he met with some of the victims yesterday but never knew they were meeting for the last time.