House PDP Caucus Decries Akume’s Call for State of Emergency in Benue

By Adedayo Akinwale and Udora Orizu

The Benue State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus in the House of Representatives has chided the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, for calling for a state of emergency to contain the killing by suspected herdsmen in the state.

Akume had, on Monday while addressing the media on behalf of Benue APC stakeholders over the deteriorating state of security in Benue State, called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency so as to bring the situation under control.

Briefing newsmen Wednesday in Abuja, the caucus said rather than enjoin Governor Samuel Ortom to explore solutions to the wanton killings, Akume was politicizing the issues and calling for an emergency rule in the state.

Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, Hon. Mark Gbillah, who represents GwerEast/Gwer West Federal constituency, said that they were embarrassed that Akume, who was a former governor in the state, could be associated with such action.

According to the lawmakers, they expected Akume as someone who professes to be close to the president, to ensure that the N10 billion promised to be used to relocate the internally displaced persons in the state was released.

The caucus lamented that the same government who approved N6 billion for cattle ranching for herdsmen in Kastina, has failed to fulfill its promise of N10 billion for the resettlement of Benue people.

The caucus also cautioned the presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, to stop trivializing and misconstruing Governor Ortom’s outspokenness for an attack on President Muhammadu Buhari.

It explained that all Ortom, as the Benue leader has been saying on the insecurity in Benue, are the collective opinion of the people of the state and not the personal opinion of the governor and shouldn’t be personalized.

While passing a vote of confidence on the leadership of Ortom, the lawmakers appealed to Akume to eschew his disagreement with the incumbent governor, retract his statement and embrace efforts to end attacks on innocent indigenes of the state.

The caucus called on President Buhari to rise up and end the bloodletting caused by his kith and kin in Benue State now.

It further called on the National Assembly to intervene and nip in the bud, the calls for the breach of the democratic structure in Benue.

The caucus said: “We wish to respond to the issues raised in the press conference by Senator George Akume who has never lent his voice to the clarion call for the cessation of incessant killings in Benue, despite his assumed closeness to the president, rather chose to attack the person of the governor, called for the disbandment of the livestock guards so as to bring further hardship on the displaced people of Benue State with over a million people in IDP camps.

“It is pathetic that the person of Akume who has benefited greatly from the Benue people can call for emergency rule in Benue State and invite soldiers to further rape and maim our people. Governor Ortom, as far as members of this caucus are aware, has called ad infinitum, on the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to intervene and arrest the protracted bloodletting in the state, with little or in very many instances, no response from the federal government.

“The caucus is displeased with the improper language deployed by the minister, in addressing His Excellency, Governor Samuel Ortom, the Defender of the Benue Valley.

“The caucus calls on the leader of the All Progressives Congress in Benue, and indeed all stakeholders behind his onslaught against the government and people of Benue State, to retract the call for emergency rule in the state, for the interest of democracy and explore other means of resolving the nagging insecurity in the state.”