BEEN A TEXT OF SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE CONVENER CONGLOMERATE OF BENUE SOUTH APC YOUTH FORUM DURING A PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE STATE OF THE IDOMA/IGEDE NATION IN A POLITICAL DISPENSATION AT LINKS HOTEL, UTAKO, ABUJA. DATE: 31ST JULY, 2023

Protocol

Gentlemen of the Press, ladies and gentlemen.

We welcome you all to the state of the Idoma/Igede nation's press conference. The Idoma /Igede people are the people of Benue South Senatorial District, otherwise known as zone c.

We the APC Youths from the zone find it necessary to address issues raised by some older persons  of the Idoma /Igede extraction towards political appointments of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration. 

It is worthy of note that Benue State consists of three Senatorial zones with the Tiv's occupying two while the Idoma/Igede people dominated one zone. 

Just like the North East and South East geopolitical zones which has never produce Nigeria President, Benue South Senatorial District is yet to produce a Governor in the State since its creation

However, the zone has produced two Senate Presidents, Federal Ministers and head of Agencies of government including one of the older persons, Chief Audu Ogbeh who sat for the Press conference against the choice of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Ministerial nominee. In fact, the first Federal Minister from the Benue axis in Nigeria is of the Idoma extraction, in person of Late Chief J. C Obande. 

We read with great dismay, the press conference by some idoma/Igede older persons most of whom are not of the APC stock, people who never Campaign for the Party, some were even seen campaigning  for other political parties and made statements on National television against the APC and voted against Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

When it was time to unite the Idoma/Igede nation, one Johnson Inalegwu Agada who was part of the 29th July, press conference, led a group of Idoma/Igede people in the guise of G-9 and went round candidates of opposition parties, a sabotage that heavily reduced the collective votes of our party in Zone C. 

Some of the persons including a former House of Representative Member Godday Samuel Adagboyi lost his re-election bid on the hill of his indecisive nature of campaigning for his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC. 

It was alleged that it was Godday Samuel Adagboyi who introduced Mr Peter Obi to Pastor Dr Paul Enenche, the reason why he refused to join the State Campaign team safe for his personal electioneering Campaign which he printed all his campaign materials without the picture of the President, Vice Governor or Senatorial Candidates of the APC. To the glory of God, he was the only House of Representatives candidate of APC who lost his election in Benue State.

Without consultations with critical stakeholders and  Party leadership in the zone, Chief Audu Ogeh and company signed a letter endorsing the same Godday Samuel Adagboyi as the choice of the Idoma/Igede people of Benue South long before the appointment of Sen. Dr George Akume as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF. 

Some of us advised that, the Choice of Godday will not scale through because he was always seated behind our brother, Pastor Dr Paul Enenche each time the pastor takes deadly campaign against the APC. Because we were not Consulted, the letters were let out before our advice came in. 

It is disappointing that, thesame Godday was seated at the press conference where Mr President is been discredited for his selfish reasons." Gone are the days when Monkey the work, Baboon the chop" as the purported press conference is to further divide Benue instead of uniting it. 

We unanimously  express our disappointment over the Press conference taken by these older persons of the zone on Saturday, 29th July, 2023 where they brought complain to the media instead of matching to the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces or the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for  effective action. We consider their action as blackmail against the President and a quest to deprive the young Idoma/Igede people who worked tirelessly for the votes we gathered during the last elections. 

The elders abandoned the campaign completely, most of them voted against the APC during the elections and they are now the ones complaining about appointment. This is the reason why we preached synergy during the elections and the need to work wholeheartedly for the APC. 

While we sincerely wish the Idoma/Igede nation is given the opportunity to produce a Federal Minister, which is still possible with the second batch of Ministerial nominee, we expect the elders to congratulate the Benue State nominee just as the Leader of the Party, Sen George Akume did when Comrade Abba Moro was appointed Minister during President Goodluck Jonathan's administration with Sen. David Mark as Senate President. Both Mark and Abba are from zone c extraction. 

While passing vote of confidence on the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen George Akume. We appeal that the younger Idoma/Igede people who have worked for the party should be considered for Federal appointments as we are ably qualified to for all available positions

Thank you and you bless you all. 

Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi

Former APC Governorship Aspirant, Benue State 

Chief Convener