Opinion: Why Benue people must embrace change

by Adams Abonu

BenueAs Benue awaits the dawn of change to rise across her horizon, liberating her from the reign of darkness that is fading into a glorious morning, Benue people are implored to embrace this change for the sake of posterity.

The choice before the good people of Benue State as the April gubernatorial elections draws nearer is a point worthy of reflection. Having contributed in no mean feats to the sociopolitical development of Nigeria in the past three decades of her creation; and being the food basket that feeds a chunk of Nigeria, Benue is strategic to the wind of change blowing across the political horizon. The incoming transition to be ushered in by the election is even the more, worth projecting. In projecting into the change of baton in Benue, recent political developments and a sober recollection of recent history needs to be put in proper perspectives so that the public would be better informed on the true state of things.

This is where the performance- or otherwise- of the outgoing administration becomes equally paramount in our analysis. When Benue people voted in the last presidential and national assembly elections, they also did a referendum on the Governor Gabriel Suswam administration. Not only did people vote massively against the Peoples Democratic Party in the mentioned election, they even voted against- and defeated Governor Suswam who tried to forge his way to the hallowed chambers of the Senate.

The non-performance of Governor Suswam gave the opposition All Progressive Congress an ample chance to reassert its influence on the politics of state. Across Benue, people voted in protest to the unacceptable state of the land of political juggernauts like Senators Joseph Tarka (of blessed memory); David Mark; George Akume, to mention a few as one voter, a primary school teacher in Otukpo remarked that “ we voted against the PDP not because of the candidates but because of Suswam who could not pay our salaries in the past eight months.”

Suffice to say that the outgoing Governor Suswam did dismally enough for Benue people to seek a viable alternative. By far, the most credible alternative available to Benue people in the forthcoming election is the message of hope being preached by Dr Samuel Ortom of the All Progressive Congress and only recently a minister in the outgoing President Jonathan administration; a hope of reprieve after the queer times of the Suswam era.

When a government fails to deliver on the collective expectations of the people, the only reasonable choice in an election is to change such and the good people of Benue cannot afford to continue on the path of Suswam’s misrule which the candidature of Tarhmem Tarzooh of the Peoples Democratic Party embodies. The embellishment of Suwsam in the emergence of Prince Tarzooh, a Former Speaker of the Benue House of Assembly has tainted the candidate’s decoration as “man weh sabi,” thus, making it unappealing to Benue people.

If the PDP whom Tarzooh represents is voted in at the next election to continue on the footprints of Suwsam, as the candidate has affirmed in many instances, then the agony of Benue people can be better imagined than experienced. Benue has had her unfair share of lackluster leadership recently and cannot afford even a stint further.

Added to recent development in the body polity of Nigeria, the combined effect of General Buhari winning the Presidency for the All Progressives Congress and the party winning a dominating majority in both chambers of the national assembly, it becomes more imperative for Benue to join the mainstream by making sure the state joins in the change bandwagon. Across the length and breadth of Benue, people yearn for change to near desperation. Benue has been left behind in all developmental indices as the outgoing government failed to harness the numerous potentials of the state and thus found an excuse for nonperformance.

What is crucial for Benue at this point is a profound alignment with the incoming Buhari administration for federal patronage and its attendant benefits. Thus, the option before Benue as we go into the governorship election is a choice between continuing on the harrowing experience of Suswam’s sense of governance or a breath of genuine fresh air been offered through a more likely Samuel Ortom administration. Ortom came into the race with a robust background of achievement and a very humane disposition.

For a man who started through grassroots politics rising from Local Government Chairman in rural Guma to national limelight where he served the nation as National Auditor of his erstwhile party and as Minister of the Federal Republic, Dr Ortom is the more appealing brand in the race to the Markurdi Government House. Putting the politics of demography into consideration, too, the Idoma people of Benue South Senatorial District who bore the worst brunt of the misrule in Benue also have a choice to vote for the platform that offers them a more promising prospect.

For Benue leaders like the indomitable Senator George Akume who are the new power brokers in the new dispensation, the best gift for President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari and the incoming ruling party is to completely rejoin Benue with mainstream politics where the interest of the generality of the people of Benue is better guaranteed. As Benue awaits the dawn of change to rise across her horizon, liberating her from the reign of darkness that is fading into a glorious morning, Benue people are implored to embrace this change for the sake of posterity.

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Adams Abonu is a development journalist, who wrote in via [email protected]. He tweets from @adamsabonu.

 
Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

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