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Tag: Benue

  • Benue re-run: INEC declares Mark winner

    Benue re-run: INEC declares Mark winner

    Former Senate President David Mark has been declared winner of the Benue South rerun election held on Saturday.
    According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mark,
    defeated Daniel Onjeh of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with 84,192 votes to 71,621.
    In the result announced by Professor Ishaku Enigi, Mark won in five local government areas, while Onjeh won in four.
    Breakdown of the election in each Local Government Council is as follows:
    1. Ado LGA
    APC – 6370
    PDP – 6513
    2. Agatu LGA
    APC – 3458
    PDP – 7986
    3. Apa LGA
    APC – 4943
    PDP – 9191
    4. Obi LGA
    APC – 8585
    PDP – 7043
    5. Ohimini LGA
    APC – 6192
    PDP – 5923
    6. Okpokwu LGA
    APC – 6830
    PDP – 11935
    7. Otukpo LGA
    APC – 12203
    PDP – 18468
    8. Oju LGA
    APC – 14159
    PDP – 10289
    9. Ogbadibo LGA
    APC – 8882
    PDP – 6844
    Difference = 12,571 votes

  • I’ll do wonders in Benue with N219b loot, says Ortom

    I’ll do wonders in Benue with N219b loot, says Ortom

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has expressed his desire to change the state’s fortunes when funds stolen during the last administration are recovered.

    A commission of enquiry discovered N219 billion looted fund, and the governor hopes it would solve the state’s financial problems.

    Ortom said: “If I have N219 billion, I will do wonders for this state. It is a lot of money. Let them bring back this money and even the N802 billion we are talking about. Even that one, there are issues over it.

    “We want to pay salaries, we want to pay pensioners their money, we want to pay gratuity and we want to fulfil our contractual obligations, including the ones we inherited.

    “With N219 billion, it is enough to solve these problems. Nobody will hear about bailout again. I can even take from there and repay the Federal Government the amount they gave us as bailout fund.

    “We need rural roads, we need electricity, we want our hospitals to work, we want our schools to be functional. This is where this money will go. So we must recover it by the grace of God.”

    He said there would be no plea bargain or political settlement, adding that stakeholders are unanimous on the refund of looted funds.

    “There is no political settlement on this matter of our commonwealth.

    I invited stakeholders last year and they were unanimous that refund must be made for our commonwealth. So, no settlement; there is nothing like settlement.

    “If you can make refund, I have no case against you. If you said you took N10 billion and you refund the N10 billion, I will tell you to go and sin no more. But where you cannot, this is when I will have problems with you,” Ortom said.

  • Benue varsity teacher buried

    The remains of Prof. Regina Ode, a lecturer at the Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, were interred yesterday.

    Governor Samuel Ortom described the death as painful.

    He condoled with the deceased’s family, describing Mrs. Ode as a great daughter of the state, who shared his vision.

    “She was one of those who drafted my administration’s blueprint, tagged: ‘Our Collective Vision for a New Benue”.

    Ortom assured the people that he will ensure the completion of the new building at St. Robert’s Catholic Mission in memory of the victims.

    The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Moses Msugh Kembe, said Prof. Ode’s death was a loss to the institution.

    He urged Christians to pray to prevent deaths among academics.

    The governor was accompanied by Deputy Governor Benson Abounu and top officials.

  • Benue South re-run: Day APC took over Mark’s home

    Benue South re-run: Day APC took over Mark’s home

    Uja Emmanuel, reports from Makurdi, that former Senate President, David Mark, lost much ground for APC on Saturday, January 23, 2016, when many of his close associates and aides openly deserted him and joined his APC rivial, Daniel Onjeh

    Former Senate President, David Mark, and his supporters in Benue South Senatorial District, otherwise known as zone C, would not  forget Saturday, January 23,  2016 in a hurry.  It was a day they wish never came to pass.

    Mark has remained a senator since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, representing the people of Benue-South, with nine (9) local government areas, two of which are Igede speaking tribe.

    For the 16 years he spent in the National Assembly, Mark bestrode the political map of the people of Zone C like a colossus. His word was law, his decisions were final; nobody dared challenge him.

    He made friends and enemies. For anyone to qualify for any political appointment or position of higher responsibility, he must have the backing of the former Senate President. He had both the knife and the yam and shared it the way he wanted. As a result, he was worshipped like a god.

    However, all that changed since the Appeal Court sitting in Makurdi sacked him from the senate.

    To worsen the situation, many of his closest political associates, aides, and friends have since then abandoned him.

    Among the top politicians, aides of David Mark from Benue South that have abandoned his People Democratic Party (PDP) and declared for All Progressive Congress (APC) at a rally held  in Government Day Secondly School, Otukpo, are former Deputy Governor of Benue State, Chief Seven Lawani, Mark’s former Chief of Staff, Hon. Agbo Ogah and Deputy Director-General, Mark Campaign Organisation.

    Others are former Minister of State for Niger Delta, Sam Ode, and Minister of State for Education, Dr. Jerry Agada, former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, during late Sani Abacha regime, Chief Mike Okibe now a business mogul, former PDP chairman, Agada Igomu, former SSG, Batholomy Oche, and Senator Godwin Okpeh.

    There were also Mrs. Ada Chenge, a PDP governorship aspirant, seven ward and local government chairmen of PDP, a former member of the Benue State House of Assembly representing Oju State Constituency, Hon Igbiri Idaah, also dumped the party for APC.

    Over thousands of APC supporters from Benue State turned out to witness the defection ceremony, which the APC senatorial candidate for Benue South Senatorial District in the re-run election, Daniel Onjeh, also used to flag off his campaign.

    The APC National Chairman, John Oyegun, who was excited with the huge turn-out at the rally and the calibre of people that defected, said he has no doubt that APC will take Benue South Senatorial District.

    Governor Samuel Ortom said there would be enough security to ensure protection of lives and property and called on APC supporters to go all out to vote Daniel Onjeh.

    Chairman APC in Benue State, Comrade Abba Yaro, in his remarks, said with his close aides who abandoned him and his party into APC, David Mark has already seen defeat.

    The huge crowd of APC supporters took over all the nooks and crannies of the dusty Otukpo town. It was a day the remnants of PDP supporters took flight to unknown destinations as APC had a field day.

    The defectors, Dr. Agada, Ode, Lawani and Onoja said they left the drowning PDP for APC because of what Governor Samuel Ortom and President Buhari have done at both the state and national levels.

    They alleged that Mark advised them to remain in the main stream politics and that it would be fool hardy of them to still be in PDP when it is clear that nothing good can come from opposition.

    For the people of Benue South Senatorial District, change has come to stay and the re- run is as good as over going by the huge crowd that attended the rally.

    Those who spoke to The Nation said “David Mark has been left with a broken heart because those who defected to APC are the power brokers in Zone C, on whose toes the former Senate President has allegedly stepped and are now ready to take their pound of flesh during the re- run.

    Politics is however not mathematics, so observers are still waiting for February 20th, the day INEC has fixed for the re-run. APC supporters insist however that it is judgement day for Mark and his supporters.

     

  • Benue rerun: PDP accuses APC of hiring thugs

    Benue rerun: PDP accuses APC of hiring thugs

    Ahead of next month’s rerun in Benue South Senatorial District, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state has alleged that there is a plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to deploy fake soldiers and policemen to manipulate the election.

    The party Chairman, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo, alleged yesterday that the APC planned to hire thugs and use fake security men during the election.

    He alleged that there was a plot to sew military and police uniform for hoodlums.

    Said he: “We have it on good authority that there are moves by the APC to infiltrate vigilance groups, sew army and police uniform and arm them for the rerun.

    “We are aware of the plot and intimidation of members of the local government caretaker committees to ensure the APC candidate wins by all means or they will be sacked.

    “But let it be noted that Benue South, otherwise called the Idoma nation, cannot be intimidated. We are a forthright people. No amount of intimidation can threaten the resolve of our people.

    “This is democracy and the will of the people must be respected. We must have the right to choose. On this rerun, only the Benue South people will decide who represents them. No external force will determine the outcome of the election.”

    Agbo noted that as federal agencies charged with the responsibility of maintaining law and order, the army and the police would not condone evil.

  • Benue: Lawani, Ebute, Agada, others dump PDP for APC

    Benue: Lawani, Ebute, Agada, others dump PDP for APC

    Immediate past deputy governor, Chief Steve Lawani, former Senate President, AmehEbute and two former Ministers, Dr. Sam Ode and Professor Jerry Agada were yesterday among chieftainsof the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that defected to the All Progressives Congress in Otukpo, Benue State.

    Others were a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Chief Mike Onoja; a member of the National Assembly in the second Republic, Senator Godwin Okpe; former Deputy Director General of Senator David Mark Campaign Organisation, Dr John Enyi and pioneer PDP chairman in Benue State, Chief AgadaIgomu.

    They joined the ruling APC with thousands of their followers at a carnival-like ceremony that marked the formal flag off of the Comrade Daniel Onjeh Senatorial Campaign at the Government Secondary School Eupi in Otukpo.

    APC’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, received the defectors.

    He urged the electorates to be part of the wind of change that blew across the country last year by voting forOnjeh, who he described as a courageous young man with the capacity of effecting positive change in the senatorial district.

    Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief AuduOgbeh, said if elected, Comrade Onjeh would team up with him, Governor Ortom and President MuhammaduBuhari to bring positive surprises to them.

    He said with the calibre of the defectors, the election would be a celebration and affirmation of President Buhari’s mandate.

    Senator Ebute, who spoke on behalf of the defectors, said they were shocked by the magnitude of decay in the last 16 years of the PDP.

    The defection, he explained,was expression of their disgust and dissociation from the misdeeds.

    Governor Ortom commended the new party members for what he described as their wise decision to get on the same page with Nigerians.

    He assured that adequate security would be provided to ensure that voters exercise their franchise freely without molestation.

    Onjeh said if elected, he will liberate Benue South from slavery.

     

  • Ex-Benue deputy governor joins APC

    Ex-Benue deputy governor joins APC

    Two ex-ministers from Benue South Dr. Jerry Agada and Samuel Ode will today dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All Progressives Congress (APC) in Otukpo.

    Also to join APC  today is former Deputy Governor Steven Lawani.

    The event will be used to launch the campaign of APC’s Benue South candidate Comrade Daniel Onjeh, who is challenging ex-Senate President David Mark of the PDP.

    Other politicians expected to defect to the APC are former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence during the late Sani Abacha regime, Chief Mike Onoja and seven PDP local government and ward chairmen in Benue South.

    The Nation learnt that the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, will chair the occasion.

  • •••come join me to develop Benue, governor tells opponent after victory

    •••come join me to develop Benue, governor tells opponent after victory

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, today extended an olive branch to Prince Terhemen Tarzoor, defeated governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP whose appeal was dismissed at the Supreme Court.

    Reacting to the judgment at the Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, Governor Ortom commended Prince Tarzoor for opting for the legal process rather than violence in the pursuit of his political convictions.

    The Governor had won the April 11, 2015 Governorship Polls on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and thereafter at both the Elections Tribunal and the Appeal Court

    He stated that now that the apex court had settled the political dispute, he has extended a hand of fellowship to Prince Tarzoor and invited him to join him and contribute his ideas and those of his supporters towards the development of the state.

    “What Benue needs at this time is for all its sons and daughters to collectively tackle the challenges of ignorance and disease afflicting the state,” he stressed.

    He pledged his commitment to offering the people of the state dedicated service that would eradicate those three challenges.

    According to the Governor, the fact that he neither saw nor bribed any judge at all levels through which the case passed indicated that there was hope for people to get justice in the country.

    He expressed appreciation to both his legal team and some leaders of the Benue community who were in court and thereafter with him at the lodge for successfully defending the mandate of the Benue electorate and their consistent support.

  • Benue varsity must look into this

    SIR: Due to the unemployment situation in the country, the federal government thought it wise to introduce entrepreneurship as a course so that students would be taught or rather, trained on how to be self-reliant after graduating from university. I understand that the federal government also provided funds to kick-start the programme.

    However, the authorities of the university hid this fact from students Of Benue State University, Makurdi hence they imposed a fee of N2000 per student as registration fee before being allowed to study the course. Since the introduction of this entrepreneurship course, students at the university have been paying for the course while other tertiary institutions like Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Kogi State University, Ayingba, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and so on, have not been paying for it.

    If there is any other institution in the country that is collecting money from students in the name of entrepreneurship study, such an institution is not being fair to the country. The authorities of such universities stand accused of lack of extortion.

    While the authorities at the Benue State University are quick to warn the students not to cheat in their examinations, collecting money for a programme that supposed to be free is nothing but cheating.

    I call on the Benue State University Vice Chancellor, Professor Kembe to, as a matter of urgency and necessity, put a halt to the policy of paying for the entrepreneurship programme.

    • Awunah Pius Terwase,

    Mpape, Abuja.

  • Rerun: ‘Why Benue South people must reject Mark’

    Rerun: ‘Why Benue South people must reject Mark’

    The people of Benue South Senatorial District have been urged to resist an attempt by ex-Senate President David Mark to return to the National Assembly.

    The Coordinator of ‘The Idoma Shine Your Eyes’, Comrade Yakubu Onogwu, in a statement to reporters at the weekend in Benin City said the only way to attract development to the zone was for the people to reject Mark at the polls and vote the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Comrade Daniel Onje.

    Onogwu, who accused Mark of wasting the opportunity to attract federal  presence during the 16 years the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in power, said it was regrettable that the Idoma were pauperised despite their kinsman being Senate president.

    His words: “It’s a shame that a drive round Otukpo, which is regarded as the administrative headquarters of the Idoma and other communities, will show ruin, with no federal presence. Our people have been deceived for too long.

    “Mark is doing everything to manipulate the people with his ill-gotten wealth. He wants to rig himself back to the Senate. We assure him that he will fall as the biblical Goliath fell to David. Benue South people are conscious politically more than before.”

    Onogwu said the people must reject the PDP and vote for the APC, adding that it will amount to political suicide if they vote for Mark.