By Amos Aar
A group under the aegis of G-9 Benue South Progressives forum has reportedly withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship Campaign Council in the state.
According to Radio Benue, the decision of the G-9 was made known Tuesday in a statement signed by Publicity Secretary and Public Relations Officer of the group, Mr Akor Ekwuoche, which indicated that “the decline of the appointment was a collective decision of members to maintain sanctity of their ideological conviction and commitment to defending the pride and dignity of the Idoma nation.”
Thirteen members of the G-9 withdrawn by its leadership from APC Governorship Campaign Council include Chief Nelson Alapa, Abba Yaro, Engr Morgan Okwuoche, Theresa Odachi Ikwue, Engr Austin Eleho, Bernard Ochepa, Michael Oglegba, Barr Emmanuel Oche, Akor Ekwuoche, Ambassador Dickson Akoh, Engr Johnson Agada, Sunday Odeje and Ann Itodo.
According to Mr Ekwuoche, their action does not in any way mean withdrawal of support for APC or its Candidate by G-9 or the affected members. But the group considered it immoral to accept any appointment under the current state leadership which has no respect for APC stakeholders in Idoma land when it comes to running state affairs.
Mr Ekwuoche stressed that the G-9 in several agitations demanded that the Tiv-controlled state leadership of the party allow the Idoma Nation decide their political affairs by themselves and not by imposition from Tiv leaders, lamenting that all their outcry meant nothing to the same leadership of the party.
The statement however did not point out any particular instance of interference with their political affairs.
The reported withdrawal by the G-9 came few days after an APC Chieftain from Ogbadibo local government area of the state, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, took a similar decision by turning down his appointment as member, advisory committee of the Benue APC Governorship Campaign Council.
National Record gathered from a member of the G-9, who pleaded anonymity, that some of the 13 members of the G-9 withdrawn by the leadership of the forum accepted the decision under duress.
According to the source, the aggrieved members viewed the forced termination of their appointments in the campaign council as a deprivation of the paraphernalia accruable to the positions accorded them by the Benue APC.
It could be recalled that this kind of decision was taken earlier in May this year in the buildup to the 2022 gubernatorial primary election in the state, when the Idoma people through The Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM), an apex Idoma sociopolitical group, under the leadership of Major General Geoffrey Ejiga (rtd) threatened to banish any Idoma politician who would accept to be a running mate to a Tiv person in the 2023 election.
This was at a time the election for APC State chairmanship was to be held and the BRM also warned against an Idoma person accepting the position of APC chairman. Nevertheless, the Current state chairman of the party, Comrade Austin Agada, boldly threw his hat in the ring and won the race, the reason why the G-9 may not be comfortable with the state leadership of the party apart from the selection of Dr Sam Ode as a running mate for APC gubernatorial candidate, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia, National Record learnt.
Young Alhaji rejects campaign council membership
Alhaji Usman Abubakar, popularly known as Young Alhaji, Saturday distanced himself from membership of the party’s gubernatorial campaign council for 2023 general elections.
He said in a statement that although he is still a card-carrying member of the party, he will not accept the responsibility given him as a member of the advisory committee.
He said he rejected the appointment because the APC did not identify with him when hoodlums burnt part of his Otukpo residence sometime this year. He went ahead to accuse them of being responsible for the burning down of his house!
The statement, simply entitled: “Announcement, “Announcement! Announcement!” reads
“This is to inform the general public of Benue State political environs, particularly Benue South APC, that my attention has been drawn to a list of names of Benue State APC Governorship Campaigns for the 2023 general elections which contains my name, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, on number 32 as member of the advisory committee.
“In as much as I, Alhaji Usman Abubakar Dan Maishanu popularly known as Young Alhaji, still remains a registered and card-carrying member of APC Benue State, I regrettably wish to distance and dissociate myself from such responsibility as it had to do with my conscience.
“I had my house burnt down by some suspected arsonists within Benue South APC, coupled with the nonchalant attitude shown by the leadership of the Benue APC, I can no longer allow myself to be dragged into such fallacious and pretentious foolage.
“Read Matthew 23:30-39, particularly 37-39.”
National Record learnt that apart from accusing his party men of burning down his house, young Alhaji has not been comfortable with the choice of Sam Ode as running mate to the APC governorship candidate in Benue State, Rev. Fr. Alia.
Young Alhaji was one the Benue South APC elders under the aegis of the “Committee of Wise Men” who issued a press statement on the 22nd July, 2022, kicking against Sam Ode’s nomination.
Like other elders from the zone, he opined that the Benue deputy governorship position should have been zoned to Apa/Agatu rather than Otukpo local government where the incumbent Deputy Governor, Engr Benson Abounu, hails from, and therefore not fair for Ode to be picked from the same local government.
