Benue South 2027: It is our turn!

As Nigeria gears up for the 2027 elections in approximately two years, the entire Benue Zone C, and the rest of the world were hit with the disappointing news that Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency, the deciding vote-house of Benue South, had embraced the superfluous mantra of “Awa Lokan” – “it is our turn.” Not a few commentators have likened the move to the American Richard Nixon’s madman theory – the use of unpredictability and coercive bargaining to address political retrogression. The constituency which is known for its timid political alliances and cheap sell-outs is set as usual to reinforce the maintenance of the zone’s political status quo with coercive sentiments and disruptive strategies. In particular, the implications are potentially grave for the Benue South Senatorial seat.

To fully understand the nature of this sudden political consciousness purportedly by the people of the constituency, it is worthwhile to review some of the arguments in print. Of particular interest is the one christened, “Political Undercurrents in Benue South Ahead of 2027” authored by Tunde Olusunle, a Yoruba man. Apparently, with ghosts and spirits by his side, the University of Abuja literally teacher traversed the Benue political landscape with every dint of nativity, familiarity, and identity. However, even with the collaboration of indigenous ghosts and spirits some of his analyses are still very lame. It appears the ghosts and spirits were either not of Benue South or they gave him a thoroughfare red line. Beyond his inability to broadly conceptualize the ethnic makeup of Benue Zone C which is purely Idoma as he has rightly done in the case of Tiv in respect of zones A and B, his central thesis that the Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency has been politically shortchanged by the rest of Zone C for too long is grossly misrepresentative. Rather, the constituency has been seemingly suffering the consequences of the selfish actions of its so-called political leaders as he has tacitly pointed out in some parts of his submissions.

Even though the constituency is advantageously positioned to decide who “wins” any elections in Benue Zone C due to its strategic corners, like other constituencies in the zone, political decisions and actions on the constituency have never been shared, collective, or participatory – they have been selfish and self-centered. To be sure, beyond the lure of Maggi cubes, freebies, and other election handouts, since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, the constituency has always timidly keyed into the domineering politics of the PDP, aggrandized by some of its political leaders such as the “emeritus state Chairman” of the party, John Ngbede.  In other words, since 1999, similar to other constituencies in Benue South, the people of Apa/Agatu have been constructively kidnapped politically by election handouts and a handful of its so-called political leaders who don’t care about the common good of the people. That is where Tunde and the ghostwriters miss the point.

The point is that, democratically, since 1999, it has been the turn of everybody in Benue South to be Senator or Deputy Governor including Apa/Agatu but the “me first” African approach to life has conditioned the mentality of the so-called Apa/Agatu political leaders in such a manner that every election circle they bargain and sell their people – transactional politics. It has been a very painful trend, just like the slave trade saga! Let’s face it. David Mark represented the Zone as Senator for 20 whooping years. Where was he getting his “winning votes” from most of the times? – Apa/Agatu!  And who were his anchors? John Ngbede and some of the constituency’s “political leaders” adequately mentioned by Tunde Olusunle and the ghostwriters. After David Mark, John Ngbede and co carried on their chummy PDP antics of shortchanging the Apa/Agatu people by rallying around Abba Morro until recently when the party imploded, and God and history began to hold them accountable. In fact, much of the political failures of the Idoma people are found in Apa/Agatu because that is where most political candidates fight dirty to “win” – check out all the senatorial elections since 1999!

Beyond the senatorial, Tunde also consumes the reader’s time by arguing lamely that Apa/Agatu has been robbed of the deputy-Governorship position usually reserved for Benue South since 1999. In his words, “for Apa/Agatu it is bad enough that they are repeatedly bypassed in the nomination of deputy governors…Apa/Agatu has not for once been considered for a place in Government House Makurdi.” Again, in this case, the question that should agitate the mind is how well the Apa/Agatu leaders in the PDP which hitherto predominate the politics of Idomaland perform their role of negotiating for Apa/Agatu even though some of them occupy key influential positions. It all still boils down to what their “political leaders” have done and what they have refused to do. Even, when they negotiate, they do so for their stomach. For avoidance of doubt, the two times PDP fielded a deputy-governorship candidate from Apa/Agatu, it was John Ngbede, who arguably, is the most influential politician from the constituency in the PDP who benefited both times. Same John Ngbede was commissioner serially and other juicy positions. By the same token, the underdevelopment of Apa/Agatu is not solely due to external neglect but is also a consequence of its leaders’ failure to leverage political opportunities for broader communal benefit. Hence, the killings of the people have continued till tomorrow.

However, to be fair, to be very fair, it would be rash to simply conclude that Apa/Agatu is just outlandishly shading the tears of a sense of entitlement. In truth, their ongoing furious agitation that it is their turn to mount the Zone C senate and deputy governorship seat reinforces the questions about diversity, equity, inclusiveness, fairness, and balance in Idoma politics. But, democracy is not awarded but collectively and freely practiced. Hence, rather than engaging propaganda, disinformation, gaslighting, and false narrative, the people of  Apa/Agatu should compel their “political leaders” to take responsibility for the role they have played (and are still playing) in dragging down their constituency to be trampled upon politically, and even developmentally. They have to look for an escape from this grim reality of leadership manipulation and sell-out, otherwise the constituency will continue to be enmeshed in this self-inflicted whirlwind of downgradation.

While acknowledging the very real problem which is the political leadership obstacle facing the Apa/Agatu Federal constituency from perching on the Benue South senatorial and deputy-governorship seat, the Apa/Agatu people themselves have nonetheless been unable to take democracy into their hands and steer it into a system of government that is well respected and above all, very useful and beneficial to them, their children, and children’s children. In other words, in as much as the inability of Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency to produce Senator and Deputy Governor since 1999 is attributable to the kind of political leaders that they have thrown forth, the people of Apa/Agatu themselves have cultivated a readiness to accede to less, and less democratic self-direction. Oh, yes! The signs are conspicuous!

Indeed, it can be said without any fear of future contradiction that the portrayal of Apa/Agatu’s madness predisposition in Tunde’s overstatement of resolve that, “Apa/Agatu will refuse, very vehemently, to be sidelined and trampled upon in the political scheme of their Senatorial Zone …and put up a determined fight” in 2027 appears nothing short of coercive bargain to as usual sellout. Drawing from the saying that old habits die hard, it will not be a surprise that the Apa/Agatu people will still be led by the nose to queue behind Abba Morro for the third time in 2027 despite his woeful and disastrous representation of the Idoma people at the Senate. Rather than making the issues of the Idoma people his top priority, Abba Moro is mainly focused on the national politics of intrigues to survive politically with little or no constituency projects, little or no constituency feedback, and little or no constituency empathy.

As 2027 gains more and more momentum, it is predictable that the people of Apa/Agatu Federal constituency are engaging ghosts, spirits and non-kindred sympathizers to sell out. In particular, for the Benue Zone C senate seat, the constituency is planning for the worst sell-out ever beyond 2027! – a repeat of David Mark’s sit-tight for Abba Morro. The Idoma people will do very well this time around by collectively saying No!!
• Dr Okidu wrote from Ilorin. He can be reached through:
E-mail – [email protected] Phone – +2348036636139