2023: Allow Idoma govern Benue State – Forum cry out

A group under the aegis of Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM) has called on the Tiv political leaders to ceed the 2023 Governorship position to the Idoma people to enable them feel a sense of belonging in their state.

According to BRM, the Idoma people have been schemed out from governing the state and relegated to the background over the years, adding that the abnormality if corrected will definitely improve the development fortunes of the State.

Speaking while addressing a press conference in Jos, the Plateau state capital, the leader of the group Gen. Georfrey Ejiga (retd) said Benue state was created in 1976 where the Idoma people make up one Senatorial zone of Benue South, which political leaders of the state decided to call zone C’ while the Tiv Senatorial zones are called A and B.

Ejiga regretted that Benue is a state where the Idoma people can not be Governor, Speaker, head of judiciary, VC of Benue State University or VC Federal University of Agriculture, adding that the only position perpeltually reserved for the Idoma people is the position of a deputy governor.

He explained that BRM is arguing based on the agitation on agreement on zoning in 1999 agreed by the current political leaders at a meeting in Gemade’s house in Makurdi at the beginning of politics in 1999, noting that it was agreed that the governorship position will rotate among the zones.

Ejiga further argued that the position before 1999 was reviewed and it was realized that the two previous elected governors, Aper Aku and Rev . Father Moses Adasu were all from zone A stressing that it was to restart from zone B and rotate to zone C, A and B.

“Akume from zone B was therefore selected. At the end of Akume’s tenure in 2007, the Tiv people rejected the rotation to zone C’ and gave it to Suswan of zone A’, from Suswan, it was rotated to Ortom of zone B for the second time. Now that Ortom is about to complete his tenure in 2023, they have again zoned it to zone A. Thus zone A will have produced four elected governors, Aper Aku, Adasu, Suswan and the incoming one in 2023. Zone B will have produced two governors; Akume and Ortom.”

He lamented that zone C’ as it is right now have not produced any governor adding that with what they are saying and their disposition zone C’ will not produce any in the years to come.

“The action of the Tiv political leaders is creating tension, unhappiness, inferiority complex and despair in Idoma land.”

BRM also noted that the unjust deprivation of Idoma people from leadership is bound to create insecurity in the state. He pointed out that very soon the Idoma youths will revolt if nothing is done to remedy the situation .

Ejiga further advised Tiv leaders to learn from what is happening in Plateau state where governorship position have been rotated religiously among the three Senatorial zones that made up the state.

He commended the first breed of Tiv political leaders like JS Tarka, Isaac Shahu and Dr. Paul Unongo adding that the current breed of politicians are spreading hatred to justify their hold and importance in Tiv land and the state.