From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Moses Ayom, has charged the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to support the emergence of someone from the Middle-Belt to succeed him as Nigeria’s President at the end of his tenure.
Ayom who was the presidential aspirant in the last primaries from Benue state, gave this charge in Makurdi on Sunday, when he floated the Independent Campaign Council (ICC) in support of the governorship election of Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia.
The Presidential aspirant who pointed out that 2031 was the “emi lokan” of the Middle Belt said after doing his 8-year tenure as President, in 2031, he must support a Middle Beltan to succeed him.
He said his desire to ensure that Rev Alia emerged in a landslide victory during the coming Saturday governorship election, informed the floating of the ICC ahead of the gubernatorial mega campaign rallies in the three senatorial districts which commence in Otukpo, Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Monday.
According to him, “I am congratulating Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima and state that because of his (Tinubu’s) pedigree, antecedents, outstanding qualities, we’ve been able to bring Benue out of the opposition.
“This was also made possible by the leadership provided by the APC leader in Benue state, Senator George Akume and the candidature of Rev Fr Alia, as one of the most popular politicians and we thank him (Tinubu) for that.”
Ayom, a forerunner for Middle-Belt agitation also said, “But most importantly, we are reminding him (Tinubu) that Middle-Belt has a pact through the relationship that J. S. Tarka had with Awo (Chief Obafemi Awolowo), which have translated to what we have today.
“Again, J S Tarka had this relationship with the people of Borno; with the uncle of Kashim Shittima who was elected to serve under Benue state, through J S Tarka.
“So, we are saying, this is the final lap because we have once again given them (Tinubu and Shettima) the support by voting for them massively in the Middle-Belt. And I’m appealing to Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider the Middle-Belt, who has never tasted the Presidency since the beginning of democracy.
“We are pleading with him to be fair to us; to consider Middle-Belt which has been so marginalised by the time he is concluding his 8 years tenure in 2031. We know Tinubu as a democrat, as someone who is Independent-minded and we believe that after his tenure, he will do justice, fairness and equity, which is what he has been preaching over the years.
“And he will practice what he preaches by handing over the mantle of leadership to the Middle-Belt by the time he leaves office in 2031. So 2031 is the turn of Middle-Belt; it is our ’emi lokan’, he stated.
Speaking on the constitution of the ICC, he said, “I have formed the Independent Campaign Council for Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia for Governor and it is supposed to be for grassroots mobilisation. For instance, if I go to Mbatiav, I’ll tell them of the benefits of voting for Rev Fr Alia.
“We intend to move very fast so as to cover a lot of ground within the next few days. In fact, we have already covered a lot of ground. We actually are already working, but today (Sunday) is just the formal launching of the outfit.
Ayom, who is the Convener of the ICC, and doubles as the chairman of the occasion of the gubernatorial campaign rally in Zone ‘A’ said the mega rallies organised by the Benue state chapter of APC and the Alialisation-Alia/Ode campaign organisation 2023 will also hold in Benue North-West and Benue South within the week.
According to a statement earlier issued by Kula Tersoo, the Director of Communications, Alialisation-Alia/Ode campaign organisation 2023 in Makurdi last weekend, the programme would feature other activities including road shows and defection ceremonies in the three senatorial zones with “some major political players mostly decamping to the APC.