By Onjefu Okidu
For over forty years, the Idomas who inhabit the geo-political area popularly referred to as Zone C in Benue State, have produced elements who have served as party messengers or what some decently refer to as party chairmen in the processes that had led to the enthronement of five civilian governors from the other two zones (A and B) of the state.
Recently, the Idomas have resolved to counter the injustice with every drop of their sweat in 2023. The resolution is premised on the simple argument that Zones A and B of the state should also take their turn to serve as party messenger for the enthronement of a governor from Zone C.
Lending his voice to the resolution, Chief Audu Ogbeh had offered a gentle reminder of the need for Zones A and B to produce the APC Chairman whose seat is presently vacant in order to pave way for a Governor from Zone C in 2023. Hardly did Chief Ogbeh transmit his thoughts than some uncanny and overly pernicious Idoma elements within the party responded with acute opposition in uncouth, indecent, uncultured and inappropriate language. They also went on a wild digressive pathos trip – oh, Audu Ogbeh doesn’t attend party meetings; Audu Ogbeh is too old to talk; Audu Ogbeh doesn’t like the Idoma youths; Audu ogbeh doesn’t like the nominated young man for APC Chairman; Audu Ogbeh is stingy; Audu Ogbeh is a nominal APC member; Chris Garuba and Mike Onoja counter Audu Ogbeh; Audu Ogbeh is this and that…! Yes, Audu Ogbeh could be all the aforementioned. But, what matters to Idoma people at this time is sensate strategic thinking that could lead to the realization of an Idoma Governor in 2023 not digressive petty party busy-body.
In a real sense, since 1979, the struggle by the Idomas to govern Benue state has been held hostage to the manipulations, intrigues, vile and lies of both young and old pernicious Idoma politicians even when the other side seems to be yielding. Essentially, pernicious elements rarely worry about the moral dimension of politics – just give them food and they will sing and dance for you (apologies to OBJ & FFK); haul insults on whoever you wink at; attack, maim and kill your opponents.
In a real sense, this crop of politicians has advanced in great measure backward traditions in Idomaland. Their activities have brought a “sea of blood” to the area. Their values and what they stand for are complete opposite of Idoma values. They misrepresent the idoma people and systematically distort and suppress the truth through propaganda and spin. They have reduced the Idoma people to mere ciphers from where political raw materials are sought. Hence, rather than draw the Idoma people together, they serve to drive them apart, creating tensions and suspicions. Their negative political, economic, social and environmental impact can hardly be exaggerated.
But, politics is about growing and building ones’ immediate constituency and community. The good of persons cannot be realized unless and until the good of the constituencies or communities to which they belong is realized. This involves learning about the constituency or community’s needs, aspirations of its people, and their strategies, and taking action with the sensitivity that human dignity requires. The first duty of a partisan politician is, therefore, to be selflessly discerning and sympathetic towards his immediate constituency or community with the prophetic task of speaking out against injustice, holding up for all to see a body of moral truth based on human dignity and rights.
The foregone begs the question: Is the recent treacherous response by pernicious APC members to Chief Ogbeh’s prognosis for an Idoma Governor in 2023 an insult on Chief Ogbeh or the sensibilities of the entire Idoma nation? Actually, it is not hard to see that their response is an explicit insult on the sensibilities of the entire Idoma nation. Their perpetual reduction of the Idoma people to the level of a mere party messenger only robs-off on Chief Ogbeh as an Idoma man.
To capitulate their main argument against Chief Ogbeh’s stance for the sake of clarity: They have argued that the position of party chairman will offer the Idoma people an excellent vantage opportunity to the claim the number seat in 2023. It is impossible to believe that any Idoma man or woman will be so uniformed as to lend ear to this insensate argument. In their treacherous predisposition, they have refused to see that others got heads to simply deduct that you cannot for over four decades continue to do the same thing and expect to get a different result in one day. The most distressing aspect of their stance is that their viewpoints prove absurd from every angle of sensible and logical reasoning – only preparing the way for superior argument against an Idoma Governor in 2023.
In the face of the present treacherous struggle by some elements in Zone C to clinch the chairmanship of their parties against the wish of the Idoma people, Chief Ogbeh’s stance is significant in several aspects. Chief among them is the fact that it clearly draws a bold line between Idoma political jobbers and traders on one side and Idoma politicians who mean well for the Idoma people on another side. After all, there are three key sides to a struggle: either you win, lose or learn. And so, even if the Idomas lose everything in 2023, it worth it. A precedence and basis would have been established for winning.
Unlike some other bread-and-butter political leaders, fathers and elders, Chief Ogbeh has got principles. And because principles have edges, they cut and blood is drawn, and people get hurt in the process. In that regard, no political figure, arguably, seems to annoy and unsettle political jobbers and traders in the zone quiet so much as Chief Ogbeh. This does not preclude the fact that there are credible Idoma politicians who have been working assiduously for the emergence of an Idoma Governor. For example, the member representing Otukpo/Akpa in the Benue State House of Asembly, Honourable Baba Odeh, has overtly been up and doing.
Despite the great efforts being made by Credible politicians like Baba and organizations such as the Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM), the quest for a Governor of an Idoma extraction in the state still appear to be headed for a self-inflicted political entrapment. Actually, the so called micro-zoning and the succeeding scramble for the chairmanship of APC by political elements from Zone C tend to validate the notion by adversaries that Idoma politicians are mere commodities that can be bought off the shelve. A safer route therefore, is for the generality of the Idoma people to avoid the errors of a blind faith in just any kind of politician in the zone. They should try to avoid political bandits, jobbers, traders, traitors and icemen. To pretend that they love the Idoma nation is as logical as arguing that the members of the Igede Independent Media practitioners who have identified with the gubernatorial ambition of a Tiv aspirant, Terver Akase, have not injured the collective good of the Idoma people. The fact of the matter is that they have all put the possibility of an Idoma governor in 2023 in a penkelemesi (Peculiar mess) – apology to the late Adelabu Adegoke.
Clearly, Chief Ogbeh has shown great leadership. Despite his steepness in partisan politics, he has continued to stay above political superficialities. He has underscored the point that the Idomas can no longer afford to continue to slave for other zones politically. It is really time for the Idomas to re-assess and commit to bringing on board Idoma politicians who mean well for the Idoma people. Frankly, for the Idomas to be defined as fit-only for party messenger is a gross insult on the entire Idoma nation.
...Dr Onjefu Okidu writes from.Ilorin. He can be reached through: +234-8036636139. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .NNL.
