…Demand another slot for Idoma/Igede axis
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
All Progressives Congress (APC) youths from Benue South senatorial district have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ignore the complaints of some elders from the zone against the nomination of Joseph Utsev as a minister.
The APC youth equally appealed to President Tinubu to rather consider additional younger Idoma/Igede persons, who have worked for the party for federal appointments, assuring him that there are many qualified youths available for various positions from the zone.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday in Abuja, Convener of the Forum and a chieftain of the APC, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, said that without consultations with critical stakeholders and party leadership in the zone, Audu Ogbeh and others signed a letter endorsing Godday Samuel Adagboyi as the choice of the Idoma/Igede people of Benue South long before the appointment of Dr George Akume as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
“However, the zone has produced two Senate Presidents, Federal Ministers and head of Agencies of government including one of the older persons, Audu Ogbeh who sat for the Press conference against the choice of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ministerial nominee.
“In fact, the first Federal Minister from the Benue axis in Nigeria is of the Idoma extraction, in person of Late J. C Obande. We read with great dismay, the press conference by some Idoma/Igede older persons most of whom are not of the APC stock, people who never campaign for the party, some were even seen campaigning for other political parties and made statements on National television against the APC and voted against presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
“When it was time to unite the Idoma/Igede nation, one Johnson Inalegwu Agada who was part of the 29th July, press conference, led a group of Idoma/Igede people in the guise of G-9 and went round candidates of opposition parties, a sabotage that heavily reduced the collective votes of our party in Zone C.
“Some of the persons including a former House of Representative member, Godday Samuel Adagboyi, lost his re-election bid on the hill of his indecisive nature of campaigning for his party, the APC.
“It was alleged that it was Adagboyi who introduced Mr Peter Obi to Pastor Dr Paul Enenche, the reason he refused to join the State Campaign team safe for his personal electioneering campaign which he printed all his campaign materials without the picture of the President, Vice Governor or senatorial candidates of the APC. To the glory of God, he was the only House of Representatives candidate of APC who lost his election in Benue State,” the group noted.
Pleading with President Tinubu to consider a younger person from Idoma/Igede axis, Okpokwu said: “The elders abandoned the campaign completely, most of them voted against the APC during the elections and they are now the ones complaining about appointment. This is the reason we preached synergy during the elections and the need to work wholeheartedly for the APC.
“While we sincerely wish the Idoma/Igede nation is given the opportunity to produce a Minister, which is still possible with the second batch of ministerial nominee, we expect the elders to congratulate the Benue State nominee just as the leader of the party, George Akume did when Comrade Abba Moro was appointed Minister during President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration with David Mark as Senate President. Both Mark and Abba are from zone c extraction.
“He passed vote of confidence on the President Tinubu and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
“We appeal that the younger Idoma/Igede people who have worked for the party should be considered for Federal appointments as we are ably qualified to for all available positions,” they requested.