SGF Akume has dominated the politics of Benue state, and by extension the North Central Zone like a Colossus, but there’s something deeply unsettling about his leadership recruitment abilities or talents.
After serving as the Governor of Benue state between 1999-2007, he recruited and sponsored Gabriel Suswan as his successor. Their relationship lasted for a term. They fell out during Suswan’s first term and Akume sponsored a candidate against him. He lost.
In 2015, Akume sponsored Samuel Ortom against Suswan’s candidate, then the Speaker of the Benue state House of Assembly. Ortom won. Ortom and Akume fell out during Ortom’s first term. In 2019, Ortom dumped the APC for the PDP, from where Akume dragged him and gave him the ticket. Again, Ortom defeated his candidate and was reelected.
In 2023, Akume sponsored and supported Revd. Father Alia on the ticket of the APC, Alia won. Akume is engaged in a conflict with Alia and threatening to withhold a second term ticket from him.
This is either clearly a pattern of leadership recruitment failure on the part of Akume, or he is unlucky to fall for men who are unreliable. Both situations must reflect poorly on him!
The other troubling issue is that his leadership recruitment is fixated on one part of the state – from his Tiv ethnic group. Akume has not promoted any candidate from the other ethnic groups in Benue state to be Governor in the interest of equity, fairness and justice. But the same Akume was in Kaduna not too long ago preaching equity, fairness and justice for the yoruba ethnic group and the South as a region in Nigeria. He said power should remain in the South of Nigeria because the North spent 8 years in power through the late president Buhari. What about justice, equity and fairness for the South of Benue that has been denied the Governor seat of the state since 3rd of February, 1976, when the State was created? Under the military, Atom Kpera, a Tiv was appointed a military Governor of the state.
The South of Nigeria (especially the the Yorubas) has produced two presidents (Obasanjo and Tinubu), a Vice president, a Speaker of the House of Representatives, a Senate president and others between 1999 up until today. The South also produced president Jonathan and vice president Jonathan. But they need justice, equity and fairness and the South of Benue doesn’t.
Father Alia maybe unlucky with Akume because of his enhanced political status as the SGF. He is also a close confidant of the president. Can Alia defile Akume, defeat his candidate and score a hatrick against him? We are watching! Alia will swim against strong currents with his Unforced Error declaration that there’s no Genocide against Christians in Benue state. He may well be able to pull the chestnut out of the fire against the SGF Akume!
Dear SGF Akume, your search for equity, fairness and justice, should direct you to the South of Benue this time around.
Honesty Victor
