2023: Any Idoma Politician Who Accepts To Be Deputy Governor In Benue Will Be Banished
The Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM), a prominent Idoma sociopolitical group, has threatened to banish any Idoma politician who accepts to deputize anybody in the 2023 election in Benue State.
The group while issuing the stern warning, said the Idoma people will no longer play second fiddle in the affairs of Benue State.
Addressing newsmen in Jos on Wednesday May 11th 2022, a leader of the group, Major General Geoffery Ejiga (rtd), who expressed bitterness over the continued marginalisation of the Idoma in Benue State, stated that from 1999 to date the Idoma which occupies zone C senatorial district of the State has always been denied the opportunity to govern the State whenever the opportunity arises.
Given the background of agreement on the zoning of political offices in Benue State, General Ejiga (rtd) explained that BRM has based its agitation on the zoning agreement reached in 1999.
He disclosed that at a meeting which held in Chief Barnabas Germade’s house in Makurdi in 1999, it was agreed that governorship position will rotate among the three zones in the State.
According to him, the position before 1999 was reviewed and it was realised that the two previous elected governors Aper Aku and Father Adasu were all from Zone A adding that it was restarted from Zone B and expected to rotate to Zone C and A respectively while George Akume from Zone B was elected.
“At the end of Akume’s tenure in 2007, the Tiv people rejected the rotation to zone C for the second time. Now that Ortom is about to complete his tenure in 2023, they have again zoned it to Zone A based on the calculation on the ground.”
He alleged that there was a conspiracy again to deny Zone C the chance to occupy the number one seat in the State come 2023 adding as Ortom was about to complete his tenure, Zone A and B which are predominantly Tiv will have produced four elected governors without considering Zone C.
General Ejiga (rtd) implored the Tiv in Benue State to emulate Plateau State where the governorship is being religiously rotated among the three senatorial zones without any hitch adding that the singular act has brought political stability to the State.
He further pointed out that the action of Tiv political leaders in Benue State has created unhappiness, inferiority complex and despair in Idoma land adding that there is the need to try Idoma governor to see if it will improve the fortunes of the State.
General Ejiga (rtd) added that the Tiv governors from 1999 to date have not improved the developmental fortunes of the State and that Benue with all its potentials is the least developed State in Nigeria.
The retired Army General, therefore, declared that the Idoma in Zone C will no longer accept the position of deputy governor and threatened that any person who is of Idoma stock that accepted such will be declared persona non grata.
Credit: Idoma Voice
