Benue in safe hands, don’t force judges to upturn tribunal judgements’ – Group tells politicians

The Benue Youth for Good Governance, BYGG, has reacted to a press release issued by Middlebelt Vanguard for Democracy and Good Governance, which alleged plot by some persons to plunge Benue State into violence using the judiciary.

Middlebelt Vanguard for Democracy and Good Governance had alleged that some Benue leaders have concluded plans to use the judiciary to deliver judgments that would uphold what it described as ‘heavily rigged’ elections in the state that took place earlier in the year, which verdicts had already been given by the election tribunals in the state.

However, BYGG described the claim as unfounded, misleading, concocted lies and deliberate attempt to coerce the Appeal Court to upturn the fair, unbiased and apolitical judgments earlier given by the various lower courts that presided over the cases.

Addressing journalists on Monday in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, the National President of the group, Dr Samuel Edeh, described Middlebelt Vanguard For Democracy and Good Governance as a faceless and criminal group apparently being sponsored by the APC and other enemies of the state who have been benefiting from the crises that have been ravaging the food basket state over time.

He said, “Ordinarily, we shouldn’t be dignifying the faceless and sponsored group with a response, but we need to set the records straight because of those who might have been misled by the concocted lies from the figment of the writers’ imagination.

“There’s no looming violence in Benue State. The good people of the State duly elected those who were declared winners by INEC Returning Officers and whose elections have been upheld by the various courts of competent jurisdiction and which have been applauded by the electorate.

“To say that Benue State is about to be plunged into violence as a result of the pending judgments at the Appeal Court, which have earlier been delivered in favour of winners of the various elections, is a false alarm and plot to arm-twist the Honourable Judges and cause unrest in the already peaceful state.

“The writers and their sponsors already know that the judgments will be against them, having lost their elections in free and fair contests, so they are using intimidation, false alarm and blackmail to whip up sentiment against the judges.

“It’s on record that APC elected Public Office Holders in the last elections have had Judgments of courts in their favour, even up to the Presidential Election Tribunal but no one has impugned on the integrity of the Judiciary, which is a place of last resort in every democratic society. The good people of Benue State overwhelmingly voted for those they deemed fit for the various elective positions during the last elections and will, in no way, kick against any verdict that will validate their mandates.

“We call on the Judges at the Appeal Court handling the various appeals not to be intimidated by threat of the faceless and non-existent group being sponsored by the opposition and election losers who are yet to recover from the shock of their defeats in the last election.

“Benue people are strongly behind them.

“We urge the good people of Benue State to remain calm, and not be perturbed by the false alarm being raised by the faceless group as their mandates are intact and the state is in safe hands at all levels.

“Finally, we want to warn so strongly that any attempt by any individual or group of persons to impose anybody on the state through the backdoor will be highly resisted by the people. The losers of the 2019 general elections should just accept defeat and join hands with the winners to build the Benue of our dream.”