Stakeholders in Ogbadibo Local Government, Benue State has been accused of compromising the ever peaceful political arrangement of power rotation because they were been placed on monthly pay roll to ulter the tradition.
New-Nigeria Reporters has over the weekend authoritatively reveal those behind the racket to include: the former Minister for Education (State), Professor Jerry Agada, former House of Representatives member for Ado, Okpokwu and Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, Hon. Hassan Saleh, ex PDP candidate for House of Representatives for Ado, Okpokwu and Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, Hon. Chris Adaba Abah (Mad Lion), immediate past Ogbadibo State Assembly member, Hon. Joseph Ojobo.
Others are Hon. Dennis Onoja (Onoja Press), Chief Adolowu Lawani, Prince Obekpa, Mrs. Eloyi, CP Peter Okoh, rtd., PDP chairman for Ogbadibo local government and his ward chairmen amongst others were been placed on a N40,000 monthly stipend each by the caretaker chairman of Ogbadibo local government council, Hon. Onuh Samuel, since August, 2019.
This was barely a month after the caretaker chairman’s inauguration by the Benue State Governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom.
Revealed that the arrangement is not unconnected with the caretaker’s ambition to retain the seat in the forthcoming LGA polls and the Governor’s promise that he would conduct local government elections in the State on November 30, 2019.
It further revealed that the arrangement for monthly stipends for political leaders in the local government was to enable the caretaker chairman, Onuh Samuel, garner the necessary support for his election as substantial chairman of the local government in the forthcoming local government election in the state.
Adding that , Onuh, has also pledged to increase the monthly stipend from N40,000 to N100,000 each if he’s elected substantial chairman of the local government.
New Nigeria Reports further revealed that the caretaker chairman, Onuh Samuel, had met with governor Samuel Ortom and informed him of the arrangements which he said costs him about three million Naira every month, but the governor was said to have approved the arrangement and urged every notable elder on Onuh’s side in the zoning arrangement to jettison the micro zoning idea before he (Ortom) jetted out of the country penultimate Wednesday.
Meanwhile, while serious negotiation is ongoing to draft Hon. Moses Enenche, and others into the monthly stipend circle, part of the agreement with those on the chairman’s monthly payroll is to ensure that he returns as PDP candidate for Ogbadibo in the forthcoming local government elections in the State.
Recall that, according to the mutual zoning arrangements in Ogbadibo, it is the turn of Owukpa to produce the next chairman of the local government. However, the position has been zoned to Itabono -Owukpa, against the incumbent caretaker chairman, Onuh, who hails from Ehaje Ward 1.
Prince Onuh who was sighted around Tito-Gate eatery in Makurdi Wednesday afternoon was quoted saying that he has approached the Itabono people to ‘loan’ him the seat, declared that “money answereth all things in Nigerian politics.”
This is antithetical to democracy
