Opinion: That Wannune market crowd

By: Nat Ikyur

When the engine of the PDP began to rev after securing a new lease of life from the Supreme Court, my friend and professional colleague Chuks Ohuegbe developed this catch phrase, the ‘train has moved’ to this and that destinations. This was when a whirlwind of decamping swept through the thick APC. And like a joke, the trains took along within the bowels of it’s coaches, scores of highly placed members from the ruling party.

You can give your own definition why such defections took place or are still taking place. In all, there sure are position alterations.

Mbakor is the only clan with it’s distinct Local Government Area named after the highly respected first republic political leader of the Middle Belt, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka. He did not only had influence on the Tiv people but also exerted meaningful influence among the minority tribes in Nigeria. And so it was not out of place to so honour him with a council.

The return of participatory democracy in 1999 brought hope to everyone. It was same with us in Mbakor. The Tiv political elites were magnanimous to us with the gift of the position of Governor of Benue State. For eight years, (1999-2007) Mbakor held sway with Sen George Akume as the Executive Governor. The generosity continued even after he left office after eight years.

As we speak, he has spent 12 years at the National Assembly as a Distinguished Senator. He’s been a jolly good fella dishing out considerable political patronage. Infact he’s adjudged as a generous and compassionate political leader. This has received various degrees of acceptance. Those he favoured clapped and danced. To those he took away from them, they frowned and even called him unprintable names. To me, the generosity is only a reciprocity of same meted out to him in the past.

As the story goes, HRH Abu King Shuluwa first helped him to be appointed Secretary of Gboko Local Government during the military era. That was when his taste of political office kicked off. Ditto in 1999.

Unfortunately, Mbakor people have remained under the whims and caprices of their son. No one gets any political position here without him. Do a checklist. While he still served as Governor, his elder brother was the first elected Ter Mbakor. At that same time, his younger brother, Late Hon Akoom Dajoh, a very humble man was elected the Executive Chairman of Tarka LGA. When he died in service, there were plots to compel the deputy Chairman then to vacate office and give room for the wife of the deceased to take over as Chairman. But for the political correctness of former Governor Gabriel Suswam, that would have happened. Not to be left alone, the widow was compensated as Deputy Chairman. Of course at the expiration of that tenure, she assumed the leadership herself and was elected Executive Chairman of Tarka LGC.

In 2011, no one else was good enough from Mbakor to go to the State House of Assembly except his nephew. Hon Tony Sende was elected into the Benue State House of Assembly for four years. At the expiration of his legislative duties, he was too good to be idle. In 2017, the ‘people’ of Tarka elected Hon Sende, as the Executive Chairman of Tarka local government. The younger brother to the wife was the only one fit to be deputy Chairman. And that’s what we still have at the moment.

Deep down the hearts of many Mbakor elders, sons and daughters, there has been anger and revolt. The first attempt to be different within the time of his government proved too fatal. There were a lot of casualties when late Baver Dzeremo was primed to be elected Chairman of the council at all costs. But the anger continued humming. You may say it was in hushed tunes but was infact very loud.

The ‘market crowd’ that trooped out this 18th day of December, 2018, at the grounds of Mbakor Community Secondary School, led by Hon Torkuma Manger is a loud statement. The elders led by my father’s contemporary Umaru Aga islltoo spoke without any ambiguity. And it was instructive. I was also in that crowd. But I didn’t go to the market to buy items for the festive season. No. I was and still am part of the ‘market crowd’ to shore up support for change. Mbakor with a leadership credit for over twenty years now has no bank. And with an approximate voter registration of about 40,000, it’s possible to sway votes in favour of PDP candidates in the 2019 Elections. We desire to change the servitude because we don’t practice monarchy here.

Will it be a smooth ride? Of course not. No one goes into this sort of contest and expect to take without bruises. There will definitely be resistance. We hear all sorts of threats. Fortunately, we’ve made up our minds. And because no one is more Mbakor than another, we’ll ensure that the servitude is broken. If you want, classify us as Wannune market merchants. The beauty is that you don’t win elections by showing how much defence you put up on the cyber space. It’s ground work. And let me remind you: This crowd at the ‘market’ is serious and determined. We know it won’t be easy because no one donates power, you take it. So, we are serious to take our destinies in our own hands and end this draught.