COALITION OF BENUE GROUPS REJECTS ATIKU ABUBAKAR CAMPAIGN VISIT TO BENUE STATE AND ASKS GABRIEL SUSWAM TO APOLOGISE TO BENUE PEOPLE FOR PARADING WITH ATIKU WHO DOESN’T CARE ABOUT THEM
We are shocked to see the PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar parade the towns of Benue state under the guise of asking Benue people to vote him as president in the February 25th,2023 general elections. As a group of active young fellows, learned and working in various fields of endeavor, we found this situation as an insult to the generality of Benue people, coming from Atiku who holds a traditional title from the Tiv nation and is presumed to be a friend of Benue people.
As people who are closer to the grassroots, we thought Atiku Abubakar do not value the votes from Benue State owing to his stained silence on the persistent attacks on Benue people from armed militia who are known allies of his kinsmen, his silence would have been golden only if he wouldn’t have attempted to come to Benue state to seek support for his presidential ambition, but for Mr. Atiku to have the impetus to come to Benue state to seek votes is the highest form of selfishness, wickedness, greed and inhumane posturing of a desperate man not deserving any vote from any sane Benue citizen.
For Emphasis, Since 2013, communities in Benue state around the border area have been under a series of attacks from armed herdsmen, and from that time till date, Atiku has not found it worthy to comment or say anything about the development. Benue local governments like Guma, Gwer-West, Gwer East, Makurdi, Logo, Ukum, katsina-ala, Agatu, Ogbadibo, and Kwande have been infiltrated by these armed mercenaries who are sponsored by Fulani herdsmen, but Atiku has kept mute.
For Atiku to visit Benue State now, without taking time to see for himself the condition of those who have been sacked from their homes and living in IDPs, without sending a condolences letter to the people of Benue state, through our leaders, the state governor, the Tor Tiv, the Ochi’Idoma, or through his friend the PDP national chairman, or Senator Gabriel Suswam, simply amounts to dancing and celebrating on the graves of our massacred brothers. This we condemn in totality, and the people of Benue state reject him and his candidature, ahead of the presidential elections.
While we are still mourning the killing of over 10 people in Abagena, Makurdi local government, over 18 persons in Turan-Tiev, in logo local government, over 5 persons in Guma, and 23 persons in Jato-aka, Turan, kwande local government by armed Fulani herdsmen, we strongly warn Mr. Atiku to steer clear of the shores of Benue state, if he feels too big to heed the cries of the people.
Similarly, our group has asked Senator Gabriel Suswam to apologize to Benue people for parading with Atiku Abubakar in Benue state or forget about his senatorial ambition. It is painful that, Suswam, who is representing Benue Northeast at the senate and whose senatorial District is under siege will bring Atiku to Benue state to campaign.
It is our resolve that, though we are from different political parties, on the issue of Atiku’s presidential bid, we stand with the state governor, Samuel Ortom, who has tasked Atiku to do the right thing. We are ashamed to see a former governor that is himself under siege playing lip service to Atiku Abubakar by telling him Tiv’s prominent sons in PDP are with him (ATIKU), and they will get appointments when Atiku wins, this is a fat lie without any Justification.
Suswam should know that getting appointments at the expense of the lives of our brothers and sisters who are dying and nothing is done to check the killings is a sacrilege, and this only shows that, for Suswam, the way, and manner our people are killed means nothing to him.
Atiku and Suswam are only concerned with positions and not the lives of the people they claim they want to represent.
Atiku’s hate on Benue people is glaring, as he refused to wear the Benue traditional attire on his visit to the state.
Let Atiku Abubakar forget about Benue votes, as his acts and actions are not convincing for us to entrust him with our mandate.
Terzungwe Iorzua,
Leader Coalition Of Benue Political Groups.
6/02/2023
