The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume and former governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom, are under intense pressure by the Benue Liberation Movement (BLM) to zone the 2027 governorship seat in the state to the Kwande Local Government Area of the state.
Benue Liberation Movement is a coalition of members of different political parties in the state championing the actualisation of power shift to the Kwande intermediate area.
Spokesman of BLM, Leonard Ikyem, at a news conference in Makurdi yesterday, lamented that since 1983, when the administration of the late Aper Aku was truncated via a military interregnum, no Kwande person has ever occupied the seat, a period of over forty years.
Ikyem stated that the Jechira intermediate area, comprising Vandeikya and Konshisha (where the present Governor Hyacinth Alia comes from), enjoyed a similar gesture in 2023 when all the political parties collectively zoned the governorship position to the area in compensation for the truncated Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu administration.
He noted that “giving Kwande the governorship in 2027 would rectify this historical imbalance”.
“It is worthy of note that the Kwande intermediate area, comprising Ushongo and Kwande local government areas, produced the first civilian governor of the state, who served only four years, whereas the Jemgbagh, Sankera, and MINDA intermediate areas had their eight-year successful tenures.
“For fairness and equity, since other Tivland geopolitical blocks have had two turns, Kwande deserves a chance to lead in 2027. This would promote balance and fairness in Benue’s political landscape.
“By the time Alia finishes his tenure in May 2027, the Jechira people would have served six years on that seat, considering the years the late Adasu spent on the seat together with the four years of Governor Alia, and any attempt to add another four years to the Jechira people will take the tally to 10 years for Jechira and 4 years for Kwande”.
“Kwande has sons and daughters with the relevant experience and capacity to take Benue State to a higher level of development that will surpass the record of Aku, who has been rated the best Governor since the creation of the state, and there is no justification for marginalising the area. Let us allow them to leverage these strengths to drive Benue’s progress”, he exclaimed.
The BLM spokesman said Kwande governorship could unlock opportunities for the area and Benue, as well as drive growth, infrastructure, and social development.
