From Gyang Bere, Jos
The retired Idoma-born Nigerian Army, Gen Geoffrey Ejiga, has aligned with the Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM) to reject the consensus for the gubernatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State led by Governor Samuel Ortom.
He insisted that the Idoma people should be given opportunity to produce the successor of Governor Samuel Ortom in 2023 in the spirit of fairness, justice and equity.
Gen. Ejiga disclosed this on Tuesday during a press conference in Jos and appealed to Governor Ortom, Former Governor Gabriel Suswam, the PDP National Chairman, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu, Sen. Barnabas Gemade and other political stakeholders in Benue to allowed the Idoma to produce the next Givernor.
He explained that he was part of the zoning agreement in 1999 that held at Barnabas Gemade’s House, where it was agreed that the governorship seat would be rotate across the three zones in the state.
“What is going on in Benue is very bad, they have come up with a consensus candidate among the Tiv and we the Idoma are very angry and they will soon face problem.
“The unjust deprivation of the Idoma people from leadership is bound to create insecurity in the state. Very soon, the Idoma youths will revolt, create a massive problem for the Tiv governor and the Federal Government will then be called to help.”
Gen. Ejiga explained further, “At a meeting in Gemade’s House at the beginning of politics on 1999 it was agreed that the Governorship position will rotate t zones. The position before 1999, it was reviewed and it was realized that the two previous elected governors, Aper Aku and Father Adasu were from zone A.
” It was therefore, 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 Suswam of zone A. From Suswam, it was rotated to Ortom of zone B for the second time.
“Now that Ortom is about to complete his tenure in 2023, they again have zoned it to zone A. Thus, zone A will have produced four elected governors, Aper, Aku, Adasu, Suswam, and the incoming one of 2023.”
He lamented that Zone B will have produced two governors; Akume and Ortom, leaving Zone C with none, adding that through their disposition, zone C will not have the opportunity to produce a governor in the years to come.
He expressed hope that some Tiv youths who are parts of the Benue Rebirth Movement are beginning to question why the Idoma people cannot produced the next governor and challenging the Tiv political leaders to do the right thing.