Benue 2023: More Mountains For Idoma To Climb

As the momentum for the 2023 General Election increases, the question many keen  observers of Benue politics  are asking the chance of the Idoma to produce the next governor of the state.

Since the creation of Benue State in 1976, no Idoma has been governor of the state.

The Idoma had on  several occasions  expressed their interest to govern the state  and appealed for the  support  of their Tiv brothers who are the majority tribe  to no avail. Though previous governors of Tiv extraction like George Akume and Gabriel Suswam  in a bid to get the block votes of Idoma promised to  support and work to ensure that power shifted to them at the expiration of their term in office, but they ended up supporting their kinsmen.

Ahead of  2023 election,  the  Idoma are optimistic that one of their sons would succeed Governor Samuel Ortom who  is completing his  second term  on May 29, 2023. 

In a bid to let the people know that  2023 is not going to be business as usual, a group of Idoma elites under the chairmanship of former Senate President, Chief David Mark  recently organised a  mega rally in Makurdi, the state capital.  Furthermore, all the Idoma governorship aspirants have agreed to work together and support a single candidate for the position.

As good as that may be, the group and  the entire Idoma race need to work harder as there is no indication that the Tiv who have governed the state since its creation in 1976, are prepared to relinquish power very soon. 

For instance, the present crisis rocking the Benue State chapter of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, (PDP), GreenWhiteGreen GWG  gathered  is as a result of disagreement between Governor Ortom and PDP national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu over who should succeed the former as governor. It is disturbing  to know that none of the two names being backed by the two men are from Benue South senatorial zone inhabited by Idoma/Igede.  

 It was hinted that when  the  two political bigwigs in Benue  including Gabriel Suswan  met on March 31, 2022, to reach a consensus on the governorship slot which has been zoned to Jechira Federal Constituency and micro-zoned to Vandeikya LGA, Dr Ayu, a former senate president and three-time minister, and Governor Ortom clashed over who should go for the position.

While Ortom has his immediate past Commissioner of Education and chairman, state economic management team, Dennis Ityavyar as his anointed candidate, Ayu wants the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Titus Uba to succeed Ortom.  The two names are all from Tiv speaking areas.

 The dominant party among the Idoma is PDP, with others in  All Progressives Congress, (APC). Now that PDP leaders in the state do not have their stake in the governorship ticket, the chance in APC would be very slim. Political observers believe the task before the Idoma in the struggle to govern Benue State in 2023  is very daunting. How they would surmount the task is, however, left to the imagination.   

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