A former senator, who represented Adamawa South in the eight National Assembly, Ahmad MoAllahyidi, has berated former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, for demanding the removal of the Secretary to Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
Ogbeh had led some stakeholders of Idoma extraction to a press conference where they expressed concerns over the inclusion of a Tiv indigene, Prof Joseph Utsev, as ministerial nominee from Benue State.
Addressing the newsmen, Ogbeh called for Akume’s removal, stating that his alleged influence in the choice of Utsev was a clear proof of the marginalisation Idoma people had been subjected to in Benue State.
Reacting in a statement issued on Saturday, MoAllahyidi described Ogbeh’s action as disappointing and unfortunate.
The convener of Arewa New Agenda further expressed concerns that Ogbeh’s action had led to a chain of reactions where some faceless groups had started carrying out campaigns of calumny against the SGF.
He said, “Of particular interest to us at this point in time is the utterance of our own very respected elder statesman, Chief Audu Ogbe, calling for the sacking of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
“It would have been okay and taken as their democratic right to voice opinion and canvass for positions if Chief Ogbe and his co-agitators had stopped at that. But they went ahead to allege that the development is the handiwork of the SGF to spite the Idoma race and called for his sacking. This is where ANA finds it strange, and wish to intervene by setting the record straight to avoid sending the wrong message to the Nigerian people.
“The appointment of Akume as SGF by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the early days of setting up the governance machinery of his administration received wide acceptance across the length and breadth of the country, especially amongst the different strata of political and social circles as it provided the balancing needed for political stability after the keenly contested 2023 presidential election.
Source: The Punch
