Benue South All Progressives Congress (APC) zonal stakeholders have unanimously drum up support for President Bola Tinubu and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume on the leaders’ choice of ministerial nominee from Benue State.
Recall that following the nomination of Prof Joseph Tsev for minister by President Tinubu, a group of elders from the Benue South had accused the president and the SGF of marginalizing the zone as they had expected the minister nominee to have come from amongst Idoma/Igede extraction.
But Benue Zone C APC Chairman, Bishop Pinot Ogbaji has, during a press conference on Monday in Abuja, dismissed the claims by the elders of the zone.
Ogbaji said none of the elders who are now pushing and imposing ministerial nominee on the President neither belong to APC nor supported Tinubu in the last presidential election.
He appealed to Tinubu and the SGF to disregard the call from the elders, noting that they were not acting for the interest of the zone but for individual gains.
The party leader, however, appealed to the duo to consider young Idoma/Igede people for other federal appointments that may come up later.
The statement reads:
“We are here as leaders and elders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from Zone C Senatorial District, Benue State. You are all welcome to this very important press conference, where we will be responding to an address by some elders from the zone, who addressed press conference here in Abuja rejecting the Ministerial nominee from the State on the bases of tribal sentiment.
“Ordinarily, we will not be bothered to respond to such unfounded criticism, but because it is already affecting the unity of the State where young people of Tiv and Idoma/Igede extractions are being engaged in social media war.
“It is unethical for people who are not members of the APC to meddle into the internal affairs of the party, and also be the ones sharing the benefit of our electoral victory. It is disgusting for people who used religion, ethnicity and age to campaign against our party to be the ones crying for marginalisation.
“They are trying to malign the person of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and to discredit our reverend Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen George Akume, when Chief Audu Ogbeh, Monday Morgan, Lawrence Onoja, Godday Samuel Adagboyi, Johnson Inalegwu Agada, Emmanuel Ameh and Morgan Okwoche insisted that, the President must rescind his nomination of Prof Joseph Tsev because he is a Tiv man.
“It is unhealthy to instigate the Idoma/Igede people against our Tiv brothers after a failed coup to swindle the entire zone, as the same people had signed a letter purportedly endorsing a Ministerial nominee from the zone without consultation with the Party and major stakeholders.
“These few elders had forged documents claiming Benue South APC, endorsed Godday Samuel Adagboyi who was the only House of Representatives Candidate to loose his election to the opposition PDP in Benue State due his involvement in the Obidient Movement. The letter was signed by Chief Audu Ogbeh, Maj Gen Lawrence Anebi Onoja Rtd, John Ochoga and two others.
“The leadership of the party and stakeholders in Benue South wish to sincerely appeal to Mr President to forgive these few elders for their vituperation. They do not represent the collective interest of the Idoma /Igede nation but their personal opinion, beclouded with greed and tribal sentiment against national interest.
“We sincerely appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and our Leader Sen.( Dr) George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to carry the Idoma/Igede people along with other appointments and consider our young ones. They have energy and mental capacity to deliver the needed results.
“Some of these elders did not vote for our party during the last general elections. The so called leader of the disgruntled group, Monday Morgan was seen campaigning openly for Peter Obi and did cast his vote for him. Audu Ogbeh did not even vote at all neither was he seen in any of our campaign in the State. Johnson Inalegwu Agada was an all rounder, from APC to Labour Party and later to the PDP, etc.
“Their plot to plant an informant in the Federal cabinet using Godday Samuel Adagboyi did not work hence the opposition against the choice of Mr President.
“As leaders of the zone, we are appealing to Mr President to consider the Idoma/Igede people for another Ministerial slot. We contributed our quota to the victory of Mr. President, because without our votes, APC wouldn’t have won Benue State. We did our best in the face of sabotage orchestrated by some of our elders who worked vehemently against the APC.
“We are confident that, Benue shall be great again.”