G-9 Forum of Benue South is legitimate and crisis free

The All Progressives Congress, APC in Benue State has a Forum, G-9, whose Mission is targeted at redefining the rightful place of the people of Benue South in the Party, a legally registered organization with its patent (Name and Logo) right specifically aimed at ensuring that the interests of the people of the zone are protected.

Information gathered reveals the continued and deliberate marginalization of the Benue South (Zone C) stakeholders through the dictatorial tendency and imposition of candidates by solely choosing who flies the party ticket since 2015 till date; that the APC in Benue State does not operate a reward system to those who invested hard earned resources to nurture the party but arbitrarily choose any candidate of their inner interest, especially recent decampees, among others.

In addition, unfolded events reveal that there is the potency of the APC losing in the 2023 Governorship Election in Benue State due to the simple fact that the major stakeholders with electoral value from Benue South have been grossly disenfranchised and are now staying aloof from the campaign processes of the party in the State.

An independent probe into the affairs of the forum, and an assessment of the G-9 leadership has revealed what gave rise to what has been termed a ‘crisis’ by spectators. In actual sense, it was been discovered that the pressure group has never been under any form of crisis or unrest. What transpired is the discovery of the moles planted in the forum by some APC leaders in the State to create disaffection and weaken the group.

Our anchor’s interface with some members of the Forum granted us the privileged utterances by aggrieved persons who depended on assurances of anonymity, most especially on the recent press release by a former President of the Senate, Chief Ameh Ebute in distancing himself from purported reports by certain members and condemning their ‘Anti-Party Activities.’

The anonymous respondents portrayed the Senator with an exposure of his traded stance after a very recent visit to his Abuja Law Chamber at Wuye by the APC’s Deputy Governorship Candidate, Barr. Sam Ode at the instance of the Senator’s son. The reports have it that during that meeting, after he was promised a commissioner slot for his son in the event of winning and taking office in Benue State through the 2023 governorship election, Senator Ameh Ebute has since turned face and rubbishing the activities of the G-9 Leadership.

His stance during the state chairmanship tussle in the party was sharply against the wish of major stakeholders, including the leader of the party, Senator George Akume. Does that translate into an anti party activity?

During the recent visit to Agatu flood victims by the G-9 Forum, Senator Ebute’s donation of N500,000 was alleged as paltry to the humongous amount garnered from a trading of the organization to those against its corporate interest for the purpose of the visit. This discovery could be attributed to the recent outbursts by the former Senate President PV the activities of G-9.

It was questioned from within, how Senator Ebute could put a call across to members of the forum during their last meeting in Abuja, imploring them to remain steadfast to the core cause of Zone C, and yet abdicate himself from the activities of the G-9 Forum?

It could be recalled that Senator Ameh Ebute issued an extensive press statement on Sunday, 6th November 2022, feigned ignorance and expressed shock over the Group’s claim to having his ‘backing to withdraw support from APC in Benue State and to negotiate and place some certain demands before the party’ in what he termed as ‘outrageous statement.’  However, the reaction from within the Forum explains that the Senator contradicted himself by accepting that the objectives of the Forum were not in his know, even after acknowledging that “some few months ago, some young people from my Senatorial District in Benue State met me and expressed the need to have a political group that will advance the interest of our zone. They said they want to operate under the name ‘G-9′ to symbolize the 9 LGAs of our zone and I gave them my blessing….’

“The denigration of the G-9 Forum by Senator Ebute of working against the APC in Zone C are his personal fabrication to save his face in the glare of ineffectiveness” forms part of the expressions by a respondent. The proof of his signatures, photograph and position as a member of the registered trustees of the G-9 were tendered and confirmed by the correspondent. Equally, he had signed every press statement of the forum prior to the recent distancing press statement.

Another contributor tabled rhetoric questions at Senator Ebute, asking him to ascertain any of his scheduled meetings and consultations that have ever yielded any iota of positivism. In the same manner, his agitated expression that he would call for a Zone C stakeholders’ meeting soon and to speak with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu would yield nothing.

In furtherance, he said: “the G-9 Forum, as the name implies, aims to champion the Zone C political interests. There is therefore, no amount of sabotage that would diminish the cause. It comprises of notable and responsible individuals of integrity who wouldn’t be cowed by the antics of few individuals. What Senator Ebute calls anti party activities are laughable. All his interfaces with different individuals and groups over the past one year are loaded with evidences of conscience trading.”

Our correspondent, having followed the activities and trends of APC politicking over time across Benue State, has a wide network of information gathering which is highly dependable. The expositions arising from this episode are shocking. The rhetoric questions are:

* Would protecting the interest of a people in a political party be regarded as ‘anti-party’ activities?

* Would advocacy for justice, equity and fairness in the distribution of resources and opportunities be termed as ‘anti-party’ activities?

* Would championing a just cause to protect or defend a people who are constantly disenfranchised be taken to be ‘anti-party’ activities?

* Is it now that the G-9 Forum is taking position of insisting on equity, justice and fair play that would benefit the Zone that such step is regarded as anti party?

Comments:

After taking into critical considerations, the growing popularity and strength of the G-9 is viewed as a threat to those involved in the sabotage games.

The carrot dangling syndrome is being played out by the party leaders on the Zone C stooges at the very expense of either their personal or family entitlements. This attitude is bereft of selfless leadership, the bane of indices in Idoma development which is reiterated by David O. Ottah as stated in his book titled ‘Idoma: In Search Of Political Leaders.’

As a way of bringing an end to the seeming and lingering internal crisis, a party stakeholder in Zone C opined that the sponsored social media castigatory disposition, only to revert to behind-the-scene reconciliation is the greatest undoing by the party leadership; that such had caused the crisis remaining unabated, as there is no sincerity of purpose in the pursuit towards a peaceful settlement of the conflicting interests.

In conclusion, the last speaker waved his hand by stating boastfully that the detractors of G-9 thought they might have succeeded in depleting the strength of the organization, but not knowing that the group is currently undergoing and achieving massive grassroot mobilization across Zone C.