By Onjefu Okidu
Just about 15 months to the 2023 general elections, some unconscious Idoma sons and daughters have already taken over, and turned virtually all the social media platforms setup majorly for the Idoma Governor agitation into billboards for birthdays, marriages, burials, fashion parades, hip-hop music, praise singing, besties, cross dressing and portrayals of heroes and super heroes that are real, imagined and fictional.
Worse of all, some others have turned the platforms into channels for different brands of unproductive arguments, insults, boastfulness and idiocy.
Patricia Ojo, the true daughter of Idoma who set the bush of Idoma governor agitation on fire has been very worried and concerned about the loss of focus. On virtually all the social media platforms she has been pleading with tears that all should get back to the business of the agitation but to no avail.
Undoubtedly, the first full moon of the agitation was very emotional, purposively action-packed, truthful and focused. But, we are now visibly witnessing the relegation of the first full moon, even now that the 2023 elections are peeping through the corner - Sad, very sad indeed. Thankfully, the first full moon still serves as a reminder that spoilers are at work; People who have decided to be part of the struggle to serve subterfuge and selfish purposes, people who think less about all encompassing tactics and strategies, people who have little to contribute about raising neutral critical tools such as funds, people who are predisposed to the selfish use of insider information.
Undoubtedly, since the campaign kicked off about two years ago, the Idoma Governor has become a fixture of national and international headlines. Few leadership agitations in the entire world have found themselves in the high glare of publicity – it has been intense, more of a butterfly coming out of a cocoon - many thanks to the Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM). In fact virtually every Idoma man and woman, home and abroad except the happy slaves has followed the manifestations with gut happiness. However, the activities of some vile Idoma elements have continued to accompany the publicity volume and are visibly relegating the fixture. With the apparent relegation of the first full moon, many Idoma men and women are becoming very reluctant to be part of the struggle. Truth be told, many of them are withholding a lot of commitment. In fact, some Idoma men and women of substance have left the social media platforms and the agitation due to the distractive activities.
Actually, this is the time to separate the chaff from the wheat. Unfortunately, many are now engaged in bootlicking, sycophancy and blind following for selfish and pecuniary gains, and the atmosphere is becoming more and more infused with mutual suspicion occasion by secrecy. It has gone beyond speculations that intense detrimental behind-the-scenes, underground and clandestine activities are in full gear. In particular, activities of Governor grabbing elements jostling for Deputy Governor are visibly weakening the agitation tempo. There are even well grounded speculations that some top Idoma elements have collected stinking volume of Nairas running to some good counts to indirectly diffuse the agitation.
The question is; why are the Idomas always carried away like seeds on the wind when it comes to breaking away from the claws of political slavery in Benue State? Even the BRM, the arrow head of the agitation, is beginning to look at the world the Idoma failed politicians have created. And it is beginning to be tossed up and down on the stormy sea of deceit and treachery stirred by the ships of selfish politics. In fact, Patricia Ojo, the mother of the agitation must be on her kneels day and night praying for the sea to calm.
Off the social media, the continuously recycled “Idoma political leaders” who one can safely refer to as slaves by choice are beginning to reap the fruit of their labour as the Tivs are beginning to argue zoning in clear terms. Yes, they are beginning to argue that the Idomas cannot occupy the offices of chairmen of political parties and justifiably stretch their hands and legs to the office of the Governor – yeah, sounds just and fair! At least with the PDP, the chicken has reached the rust hut. During an expanded meeting of PDP gubernatorial aspirants recently which featured almost zero idoma aspirants, Governor Ortom was very categorical that if the aspirants failed to agree on consensus, the party will be forced into the process of nomination not election. It is only those playing the cunning Ostrich that will continue to sell the idea that the Governor will nominate an Idoma or the majority Tiv aspirants will arrive at an Idoma as their consensus candidate. The game plan stretches from PDP to virtually all other parties.
In any case, enthroning an Idoma Governor is very, very easy, and it is not about attacking the Tiv people or pitifully pleading with them to give the idomas a chance. It is majorly about checkmating the selfish role of “Idoma political leaders” and clearing the self-centered political road blocks they have mounted on the way which have in every election year muffed the golden chance of an Idoma Governor. Actually, the efforts of the BRM so far are commendable but it appears its leadership do not yet seem to fully understand the place of equity, fairness and justice in the entire struggle. That is where the Tiv people have proved superior. Since the First Republic, their political leaders have respected their people by investing heavily in the unwritten laws of political equity, fairness and justice. To be sure, the Tiv political leaders are great practitioners of rotational leadership unlike the Idomas who will do anything, anything, including selling his or her entire race to maintain his political power. As it is now, there is no single “Idoma political” leader who is ready to sacrifice his or her political and financial fortunes for an Idoma Governor to emerge, none! Rather, every election year they would spend all they have politically and financially to ensure that the idomas maintain inferior positions, party chairman, so that they can continue to fool around with the Idoma people.
As long as the Idoma people do not find a way of bypassing their selfish political leaders by changing the political template they have put in place, the people will continue to face political domination in Benue State. As such, genuine agitators like the BRM cannot avoid confronting the age-long antithetical political behaviors of the so called idoma political leaders. The long and short of it is that, the idoma political leaders need to be tackled head on. Their primitive, oppressive and selfish politics should be enough in 2023!
...Dr Onjefu Okidu writes from Ilorin. He can be reached through: e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel: +234-080-36636139. NNL.
