2023: Will power shift to Benue South?

Quest for power shift to the South has raised the bar for the 2023 governorship race in Benue State, reports Uja Emmanuel in Makurdi

 

LAST Saturday, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State conducted its elective state Congress without rancour at Aper Aku Stadium in Makurdi, the state capital.

Among PDP chieftains from Benue South Senatorial Zone who attended the state congress are former Senate President, David Mark, the senator representing Benue South, Comrade Abba Morro and the Deputy Governor of the state, Engr. Benson Abounu.

One burning issue that dominated the Congress and had been agitating the minds of the people of Benue South is power shift.

And they did not pretend about it as each speaker from the zone hammered on the need for power to shit to Benue South Senatorial zone, otherwise known as zone C.

First to set the tone was Senator Abba Morro who pleaded with their Tiv brothers to allow zone C to produce the next governor of the state in 2023 for the first time.

Morro in his speech during the Congress said “Today, I stand on behalf of the good people of Benue South Senatorial District to say that as we set the stage and march towards 2023, the good people of Benue South asked me, if I come here, to say that they crave the indulgence of the Benue people to support somebody from the Benue South Senatorial District to become Benue Governor in 2023.”

The zone’s senator’s speech was applauded, especially by Benue South delegates in a manner that suggested he spoke their minds.

Morro’s appeal was quite understandable because since Benue was carved out of the old Plateau State, 44 years ago, the zone has not produced any governor.

From the first civilian Governor Aper Aku to now Governor Samuel Ortom, all the governors emerged from either Benue North- east Senatorial zone (A) or  Benue north west Senatorial zone (zone B) of the state.

While the Tiv ethnic group have 14 local government areas spread in zone A and B, the Idoma, who are second majority tribe in the state, have seven(7); Igede ethnic group is in two (2) and totalling nine (9), local governments area  that made up Benue South Senatorial District.

And since politics is a game of numbers; this has remained the major reason why the Tiv people have dominated the Benue State political map and may continue to do so until there is a proper understanding among political leadership that power should shift to Benue South for equity and fair play.

Despite the appeal from the people of Benue South to produce the next governor in 2023, the big question one is forced to ask is, “are Tiv people ready to relinquish the governorship position in 2020 or in the near future?

From recent political activities in Benue State, one can authoritatively say without fear of contradiction that the Tiv people are not ready for a power shift, especially when it comes to the governorship position.

In the last four (4) months, political activities have heightened in all the 14 Tiv speaking local government areas; political realignments, defections and membership drive within the All Progressive Congress (APC) ahead of 2023 general election are currently going on.

For instance, Benue APC has received more members in its fold than any other party in zone A and B.

Former National Chairman of PDP, Chief Barnabas Gemade, rejoined APC from Social Democratic Party (SDP); a serving House of Representatives member, Hon. Herman Hembe, from All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) returned to APC and a prominent PDP chieftain, Hon. Terhemba Shija, also joined APC. All the defectors have expressed ambition to take over power from Governor Samuel Ortom.

Many more are likely to join APC, as it is considered a solid platform to actualise their governorship ambitions. This confirms the belief that it is unlikely the Tiv people are ready to cede power to Benue South in 2023.

Again the 2019 governorship contest between incumbent Governor Samuel Ortom and Barr. Emmanuel Jime further exposed the numerical strength of the Tiv ethnic group in Benue State politics.

During the 2019 governorship polls, APC candidate led PDP with the number of votes cast in zone C; the opposition party also won more local governments areas in Benue South.

However votes cast in just three (3) Tiv local government areas doubled that of the entire Benue South.

It is therefore very clear from the 2019 election results that if power must shift to Benue South, proper dialogue must also take place just as the two senatorial zones in Tiv land must agree.

Benue South on its part must present not more than one candidate for proper bargaining; anything short of this will spell doom.

While 2023 provided a better opportunity for power to shift to Benue South for fair play, justice and Tiv adage which says “Ya na wan gbian,” which literary means “Eat and give your brother,” zone C must be reminded that there is nowhere in the world where power is given on a platter of gold, so they must work hard to realise the shift.

On the part of the Tiv ethic group who are more in population, they must take note that God did not make a mistake of creating them with Idoma people as such necessary sacrifice must be made for power to shift for the first time in the history of Benue.

“One good thing is that even if power shifts to Benue South, Tiv people will still remain the majority as it does not take anything  away from them; who knows, “something may come out of a carpenter’s son.”

Benue South boasts of credible politicians from Steven Lawani to Sam Ode, Senator Abba Morro, among others, who had, in the past, made unsuccessful attempts to become governor of Benue State. They must not lose hope but continue with the dialogue as Rome was not built in a day.

Zone C should wait after Jechira, says Martins

The arguments for Benue South notwithstanding, some political leaders are not convinced they should leave power for the zone in 2023. One of them is Kojo Martins, a Tiv political activist, who, in an exclusive chat with The Nation during the week, made a case for Jechiri, a Tiv political block in Vandeikya and Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue North East Senatorial Zone.

Martins, who hails from Mbagbera, Vandeikya Local Government Area, said, “Even though the agitation for power to shift to Benue South Senatorial District is right and in order, they should wait after Jechira may have had its shot at the governorship seat first.

He argued that even though the second civilian governor of Benue State, Rev Fr. Moses Adasu, was from Jechira (Konshisha), he did not complete his tenure as it was truncated by a military coup.

“We, the Tiv people from Jechira, want to complete the tenure of Late Fr. Moses Adasu, whose tenure was cut short by a military coup, and besides, we have capable men who can replicate what the late Governor Adasu started,” said Kajo.

He stated further that quality development of Benue State, which late Adasu started, can be seen in Benue State University (BSU), BENCO Roof Tiles and Beach road, among others.

Already, we learnt that a Tiv man, Hon Herman Hembe, a federal lawmaker representing Jechira Federal Constituency, has already joined Benue gubernatorial race for 2023. Hembe hails from Konshisha Local Government Area.

Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also from Konshisha Local Government Area like Hembe has joined the gubernatorial race for 2023 all on the platform of All Progressive Congress (APC).

This confirms that the last may not have been heard of the prospect of the dream to shift Benue governorship to the South.

But one thing has become obvious and that is that Morro’s recent call has brought the issue to the fore again. Today, many are asking, will power actually shift to Benue South in 2023? Only time will tell.

Why we want power shift to Zone C – Ogwuche

In his reaction, an Idoma political activist, Ejemba Ogwuche Rexman, said the zone’s agitation for power shift is for fairness, equity and justice.

Ogwuche Rexman, who was a former Chief Press Secretary to the then Deputy Governor of Benue State, Chief Steven Lawani, has been in the forefront in the campaign for power to shift to Benue South Senatorial Zone. In a brief chat, he told The Nation during the week that there is nothing wrong in the agitation for power shift by the people of Benue South.

He also warned his Idoma kinsmen, especially Idoma political leaders, against using the agitation for personal gains ahead of the 2023 general elections.

“The vociferous agitation for power shift in Benue State by the Idoma minority ethnic group of Benue South is as old as the state.”

Since it’s creation in 1976, the exalted governorship position in the state has been the exclusive preserve of the majority Tiv ethnic group of the state.

Expectedly this has caused mutual political discord, suspicion and dilemma among the disparate groups in the state.

“Fundamentally, the agitation by the Idoma ethic group for a shot at the Benue governorship position is not an aberration; it is for fairness, justice and equity and to give them a sense of belonging in their own state.

“The monopolistic appropriation of the Benue governorship position by the predominant Tiv ethnic group on demographic reason is archaic.

Benue is the only state in the country where power rotates among one ethnic group to the exclusion of the others.

This makes the agitation by the people of Benue South for the governorship position imperative.

“Even if politics is a game of numbers, we have witnessed the emergence of a minority as the president of the US. Democracy is about fairness and equity.

There is nothing wrong in the agitation for power shift by the people of Benue South.

But for them to be governor of the state they must dialogue with the majority Tiv group to build a consensus and trust amongst Benue people. We have qualified people from Benue South that can give quality leadership to the state.

But I must not hesitate to add that the aspiration for Idoma governorship must not be used by their leaders for their own political gains,” he said.