Benue State chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition All Progressive Congress, on Tuesday, lambasted each other over the statement made by Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, George Akume at a wedding reception in his country home, Wannune area of the state.
The PDP in a statement issued by its publicity secretary, Bemgba Iortyom had accused the minister of absolving Fulani herdsmen of guilt in the killings of farmers in the state.
While in a swift response, APC lambasted the PDP for trying to reintroduce its pre-2019 dummy to foist unfounded allegations on the Minister over matters relating to herdsmen attacks to cause disaffection.
The PDP had accused the minister of describing those in support of the ban on open grazing as “out of their minds”.
Iortyom said that the minister made the remarks in recorded video on Saturday at a wedding at NKST Central Church Wannune in Tarka Local Government Area noted that the minister condemned the promulgation of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law.
“Labelling it an agenda to chase Fulani people away from the state.” He went on to say that when he was governor, he did not enact anti-open grazing law but Benue was very peaceful and Fulani people did not kill anyone. Akume also said as long as the anti-open grazing law remains in force, herdsmen will continue to kill Benue people.
Iortyom who berated the minister said that Akume was part of the process that produced the anti-open grazing law and that the former governor was in attendance when the bill was signed into law by Governor Ortom.
“Benue PDP observes that as can be heard in the video recording, Akume asked Benue people to make boki (friend) with Fulani. He said Fulani are the best boki for Benue people.
“He went on to list the things that a Fulani President Muhammadu Buhari has done for Benue people such as making him Minister, giving appointments as university chancellors to Tor Tiv and Och’Idoma among other things like federal board appointments to some APC members in Benue.
The PDP publicity secretary explained that the president, Major General Muhammadu Buhari was not the first president to give appointments to Benue people and stressed that the state enjoyed more patronage and better appointments under Shagari and Umaru Yar’Adua administration who they claimed were all Fulani men.
However, the APC in a counter statement said that the ruling PDP in the state was only scouting disaffection due to the depleting in their (PDP) ranks
“The PDP statement is petty, frivolous and even defamatory remarks against Senator Akume and the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the hope of whipping up dangerous sentiments that would arouse public anger against our party.”
In a statement issued by the state caretaker publicity secretary, James Orgunga, APC said the PDP got it all wrong and said that Akume never visited the venue mentioned by PDP.
Orgunga said the minister who attended a wedding reception at Wannune only urged the people of the state to grow above tribal sentiments and see the Fulanis and any other ethnicities first, as Nigerians, then, as brothers.
The APC publicity secretary said, “The Honourable Minister established that the relative peace witnessed in Benue at the moment was made possible through President Buhari’s military interventions of “Exercise Ayem a Kpatuma” and “Operation Whirl Stroke.”
“He condemned the killings by herdsmen and other intra- community hostilities in Benue that have claimed many lives and sued for expeditious action from government to end the killings, adding that Gov. Ortom was left with two years of his administration and that was enough time to turn things around for the good of Benue, rather than promoting the purported Islamization and Fulanization theory he has been advancing to court hatred against the President who is doing great projects in Benue State.
“It was while making reference to the hitherto agelong cordial relationship between the Tiv and the Fulanis that the APC leader referenced that even while he was the governor of Benue state between 1999 and 2007, the relationship between the Tiv and Fulanis was still appreciable, at a time the anti-open grazing law was not yet in force.”
Orgunga, however, decried the manner the PDP in the state twisted the minister’s remarks.
“This thinking of the Benue PDP is utterly perfidious and to an extent, maladjusted as the anti-open grazing law of Benue remains a creation of the APC; the law was duly passed with Senator Akume’s overwhelming endorsement by an APC assembly and assented to when APC was still ruling Benue. At that time, PDP that now fancies the law to the point of elevating it to a state anthem was rather indifferent about the law.”
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