At least, twelve kinsmen of immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom have unanimously voted against his purported adoption/nomination of a candidate for the forthcoming council election in Guma local government area on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Guma is the home local government of Chief Ortom where critical political stakeholders have ganged up against him and his anointed candidate in the forthcoming council polls saying it is not his turn now.
The aggrieved elders drawn mostly from Utyondu and Isherev extraction, after arising from their meeting to resist imposition of a candidate on them against their wish other than Hon. Jimin Geoffrey, condemned the purported adoption/nomination of a candidate for the October 5 council election.
The elders which included: Hon. Cletus Upaa, Tivlumun Nyitse Ph.D, Hon. Cletus Tyokyaa Ph.D, Hon. Sebastian Mom, Hon. Pharm. John Enger, Hon. Abraham Tamenor, Hon. Godwin Nyigba, Hon. Bem Nyiyongo, Hon. Alex Tindih, Hon. Raphael Tyoakule, Hon. Justine Jande and Mr. Julius Anum, said their “position is premised on the fact that, apart from the fact that the alleged/purported adoption/nomination did not take place anywhere known to us as elders of the party, it also negates the long established existing sharing formula which permits the rotation of political positions among the three political blocs of Nongov, Utyondu and Isherev.
“As critical stakeholders in the build up and what actually transpired at the alleged adoption/primaries, we are aware of the evil machinations perpetrated by a selected few who are bent on thwarting the very existing philosophy that has characterized our political arrangement over time and same is not in tone with the transparency with which our party conducts its activities even when it was the ruling party in the state”.
The stakeholders recalled that “right from creation of Guma LGA in 1989, political gladiators including Hon. Peter Tarkende, Abela Gyam, Hon. Andrew Adzuu and Chief JKN Waku, all of blessed memory, saw the need for harmonious co-existence and divided the local government into three geopolitical zones with Zone A for Nongov, Zone B Utyondu and Zone C Isherev respectively.
According to them, the
succession chart since creation of the local government had Chief Samuel Ortom (Zone A) from Nongov area emerging chairman of the local in 1992; Hon. Matthew Apav (Zone B) Utyondu as chairman 1996; Hon. Cletus Tyokyaa (Zone C) from Isherev 1997; Hon. Charles Torbunde .. (Zone A) from Nongov 1999; Hon. John Enger …. (Zone B) Utyondu chairman in 2003; Hon. Sebastian Mom (Zone C) from Isherev 2007; Hon. Terna Usa-Adi (Zone A) Nongov 2012; Hon. Anthony Shawon (Zone B) from Utyondu chairman 2016; Hon. Caleb Aba (Zone A) from Nongov as chairman in 2019 and Hon. Mike Uba (Zone C) from Isherev area emerging as chairman in 2022.
They argued that “judging from the chart the missing link started when the chairmanship went back to Zone A (Hon. Caleb Aba) instead of Zone C, after the tenure of Hon. Anthony Shawon from Zone B.
“Unfortunately, it was our son, His Excellency, Samuel Ortom who is a direct beneficiary of this magnanimous arrangement, after becoming Governor, saw no good reason to allow this seamless tradition put in place by our political forebears to flourish unperturbed.
“He rather whimsically changed the narrative in favour of his kinsmen (Nongov) and insisted on the existence of two zones against the existing status quo.
“We are deeply pained that having stood for and walked with him through thick and thin as our illustrious son, this age-long tradition will die shamefully and jeopardize the existing cordial relationship among the three segments enumerated earlier.
The elders expressed happiness that their favoured candidate Hon. Jimin Geoffrey had boycotted the alleged adoption/primaries following the discovery of manifest manipulations and outright changes on the list of delegates from Nyiev council ward of Isherev extraction.
The stakeholders condemned what they called a ‘sordid and reckless manueverings”, as law abiding and loyal members of the PDP and requested the state caretaker committee of the party to intervene and cause the right thing to be done to salvage the imminent danger that this dastardly act portends.
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