A FORMER Chief of Defence Intelligence and National Coordinator of the Benue Rebirth Movement(BRM), Air Vice Marshal Monday Morgan (rtd), has said that Idoma people are clearly not part of the political equation in the Benue APC describing the continued exclusion as unacceptable.
“Idoma people are clearly not part of the equation in the APC. From appointments to political inclusion and development, Benue South has been sidelined. This is unacceptable,” Morgan said.
Morgan stated this at a recent political gathering organised by a senatorial aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The revered intelligent chief however clarified that he did not represent the Benue Rebirth Movement at the event and that his comments were strictly his personal opinion as a stakeholder from Benue South Senatorial District.
According to him, the Benue Rebirth Movement has in the last fiveyears been engaged in sustained dialogue with leaders of the Tiv nation, advocating for an opportunity that would allow the Idoma people to govern Benue State for the first time since its creation.
He lamented that despite these bridge-building efforts, the political class has shown little willingness to accommodate such negotiations.
He further alleged that the situation has deteriorated under the current political arrangement, claiming that two influential APC power brokers in Benue – the sitting Governor and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) – have effectively shut the Idoma Senatorial Zone out of meaningful engagement within the party.
He further stated that repeated attempts to secure dialogue with the duo had been unsuccessful, describing the response as a consistent “cold shoulder.”
As a result, he said he had escalated the matter beyond the state, engaging key APC leaders at the national level and recently submitting a formal petition to the National Chairman of the APC, alleging nepotism and systematic exclusion of non-Tiv ethnic groups in Benue State.
In a pointed political recommendation, Morgan warned that if the Idoma people are not given adequate space to negotiate power within the APC in Benue State, they should seriously consider aligning with any political party willing and robust enough to negotiate and secure their political future.
He cautioned that continued marginalisation could provoke political backlash with negative consequences for cohesion and stability in the state, stressing that equity, inclusion, and dialogue remain essential for sustainable governance in Benue State.
