- Sam Ode is our son; Sam Ode we know; others we don’t know – Kwande Elders
- You’re our sister’s son; we‘ll work with you – Jerchira Elders
THE governorship aspiration of Honourable Sam Ode again received substantial boost from Kwande and Jerchira federal constituencies, two critical axis of Tiv land, last Thursday when he paid a consultation and consensus-seeking visit.
At the Kwande Federal Constituency ceremony which took place at Ushongo, elders of Kwande and Ushongo LGAs, which made up the Kwande political bloc, conferred ancestral blessings and expressed support for Hon Ode’s governorship aspiration by describing him as “our son.”
At the ceremony in which Hon. Ode was accorded full complements of Tiv tradition and culture, the frontline APC governorship aspirant also received endorsement from elders of the political bloc led by Major J. O. Mayange (Rtd), Chairman of APC Caucus in Ushongo, along with elders from both Kwande Barakuv and Kwande Barazov, considered to be the ancestral home of the Tiv.
Major Mayange, accompanied by Elders Gbuuga, Gideon Nyitse, John Moughsha and Mrs Msootar Iornumbe, all from Kwande Barazov (Ushongo), blessed Ode before presenting him to Kwande Barakuv (Kwande) for onward presentation to the entire Tiv nation.
Elders Terpase Adagi, J. G. Vehe, Dodi Unje and Ior Akume received Hon. Ode on behalf of Kwande Barakuv, and showered further blessings on him with a promise to support and work for the realisation of his governorship ambition.
In his remarks, Elder Mayange urged Kwande people to accept and work with “Hon. Ode, our sister’s son from Idoma,” whom he said had paid his dues to Benue State and the nation.
“Let truth be told, if the Benue governorship slot happens to come to Ushongo today, we shall not hesitate to loan it to him, because he is one of us,” Mayange said as the people applauded him.
Mayenge’s blessings were sealed by Elder John Moughsha and Hon. Terhile Iorchir, two former council chairmen of Kwande LGA, who spoke one after the other.
According to Elder Moughsha, the people are in full support of Ode’s aspiration because “he has the character, competence and capacity to bring about people-oriented reforms in the state.”
According to Elder Moughsha; the leadership of Ode, if elected “will be poles apart from what we are currently experiencing now. We cannot at this moment elect somebody who will mess up the state and make it worse than the present situation.”
“Sam Ode is our son; Sam Ode we know; others we don’t know. If Sam Ode is there, it means Kwande is there,” Moughsha further said, adding that since Ode has come to consult with them, they give the assurances of their support to ensure the realisation of his aspiration.
In his remarks, Hon. Iorchir said Kwande is in full support of Ode’s governorship ambition. He said honouring Ode’s invitation is the symbol of his acceptance and their support for him. He said many governorship aspirants who are not from Kwande have visited, but most of Kwande sons refused to honour their invitation because “we have reached an agreement that this is the time for Kwande people.”
He said they came out in great numbers to receive Ode because he is a governorship aspirant from Benue South with solid maternal roots in Kwande. “Why we are here today is that we have accepted that you are one of us.”
You’re our sister’s son; we‘ll work with you – Jerchira Elders
In Vandeikya where the ceremony for the Jerchira Federal Constituency visit held, stakeholders in the axis, made up of Vandeikya and Konshisha local government areas, assured of their determination to support and work with the former Minister towards the actualisation of his ambition.
Speaking at the Jerchira Hotel venue of the consultative meeting, Elder D. K. Awuhe, leader of Jerchira APC, said as a son of their sister, Jerchira people will not disappoint him.
“You are our sister’s son; we shall work with you. As you have come knocking today, be rest assured that the door is opened for you.
“You spoke so well. You impressed me so much; you have captured me, and we have to work together.
“We want peace in our party. My greatest joy is that you acknowledged the fact that you are not alone in this race. Whoever God has chosen, we shall all work for the person. If we decide to choose you as our sister’s son, you must not jettison your other brothers; carry them along.
“If you abandon them, they will tear this party apart; and once you are left alone in a fight, you can hardly win that fight,” Awuhe stated.
He said he was happy that Ode is preaching peace, stressing that as the leader of APC in Jerchira, he wants “peace in the party because once there is disagreement among aspirants, they tend to split and tear the party into pieces.”
In his remark, Elder Zayol Ahua, who spoke on behalf of Konshisha, while agreeing with Awuhe however stressed that Ode has become a household name in Tiv land which speaks volumes on his acceptability.
“You had done certain things in the past that have made Tiv people to agree to work with you. Your past excellent deeds are speaking for you, and it is our hope that if given a higher opportunity, you will do much more than what you did,” Ahua noted.
In his addresses at both the events in Kwande and Vandeikya, Hon. Ode said he was on a mission to appeal and solicit for the support of the people of both critical political blocs in the state for his ambition to be governor come 2023.
According to Ode, he was in his mother’s place not for campaign but to appreciate his uncles and by extension the entire Tiv nation for always promoting and projecting him politically.
“If you marry in Tiv land, be rest assured that even if you are not alive to take care of your child, there is every assurance that your child will be supported by the Tiv people to achieve prominence and greatness in life,” Ode said.
Ode while acknowledging the reality that both political blocs have eminent and qualified sons aspiring for the same position in 2023, he however asked for their prayers and support to be successful in his quest.
He said although it was impossible to tell at the moment who will be anointed by God from among the galaxy of APC aspirants to hoist the party’s flag or govern the state; he appealed that if he was finally picked as party’s flag bearer and eventually elected to governor, he will never forget Jerchira people and Kwande as captured in his development blueprint.
