Senator David Mark's Homeland "Grand Entrance" Ends in Chaos

•Spends N75 million on hired crowd

By Gabriel Ochoga 

It's no news that former Senate President and ousted Senator representing Benue South senatorial district, yesterday made a grand entrance into Otukpo, the ancestral home of the Idoma people.

Sen. Mark who was received by a huge crowd assembled from party supporters across that state, made his way through the ancient town to the palace of the Och’Idoma, the tradition ruler of Idoma people where he was warmly received. 

Trouble however broke out when some of the youths who have come from the various local governments were denied the stipend they were promised after it was rumoured that five-time Senator had release a whooping some of N75 million for that purpose.

The leader of the Idoma Coalition For Mark, Comrade Adah Ocholi who was embittered by the development said he brought 58 of his members to welcome the Senator only to be given N5,000 only.

"What will I do with 5,000 Naira. We came 58 of us and this is all we got. This is not a good thing at all." he said.

It was later revealed that some of the Coordinators had made away with huge sums of the largesse at the detriment of the youths. Some of the supporters who came as far as Makurdi, Gboko and Katsina-Ala had to be transported back by the politicians that accompanied them. 

Senator David Mark is gearing up to face APCs Comrade Daniel Onjeh in a rerun elections in February next year after his victory at this year's poll was annulled at the court of appeal.

Group Flays Ortom’s Victory at Appeal Court

A Non-Governmental Organization, New Benue Rebirth Initiative  has flayed the appeal court decision upholding the election of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State terming it "another manipulation of the judicial processes in the country where the highest bidder goes home with predetermined declarations that are not in tandem with the spirit of the law".

Dr. Samuel Ortom

Princess Augustina Onyilo, National Secretary of the group speaking to pressmen in reaction to the judgement that was read  by Honourable  Justice, Muhammadu Garuba on behalf of the five man panel, says the judiciary has once again failed to play its sacred role in a democracy,  as well thought out by the constitution to be man's saving grace in the face of irregularities, manipulation and wickedness.

"The negative consequences of this judgement today far outweigh our successes in the last 16 years, as a sovereign state and as a people and therefore the need to challenge the decision at the Supreme Court must be exhausted in order to put smiles on the faces of the common masses of Benue State who have had to endure the negative effect of a stolen mandate for too long a time."

" Nigerians and the rest of the world have seen and heard how our single constitution in the country could be interpreted in ways and manner that it suits the interest of very powerful persons in the society."

Speaking further, She said the gaps in the  judgement will be addressed at the Supreme Court and therefore called on the People's Democratic Party candidate, Prince Tarhemen Tarzor to without any hesitation approach the Supreme Court to claim the popular mandate that was given to him by the people of Benue State.

" We stand bold in the face of this conspiracy to call on Prince Tarhemen Tarzor to as a matter of patriotism proceed to the apex court in the land to make sure that the people's mandate which was snatched from him is restored back to the people,  the judgement according to her will not stand the acid test of Justice under our law and this move will surely deepen the strength of our laws above the dictates of godfathers," she added.
Meanwhile she has called on the people of Benue State  to remain law abiding citizens and positive that the Supreme Court will address the injustice, She queried that democracy can not exist without the rule of law and a strong judiciary that is devoid of external influences and temptations. 

Mr. Tahav Agerzua should keep quiet if he lacks what to say

By Awunah Pius Terwase,
The pointless commentaries and eye-servicing statements always making by Mr. Tahav Agerzua in defence of Governor Samuel Ortom are becoming unbecoming and the time to call him to order is now. Tahav Agerzua is a Special Advisor to governor Ortom, on Media and Information Communication Technology (ICT). Looking at his position, he is to advice the governor on media and ICT issues and not to be attacking the concerned citizens of the state and other people for advising governor Ortom through their constructive criticisms.

I took my time to read with keen interest an article written by Mr. Emmanuel Bello, former Information Commissioner in Taraba State and published in Sun Newspaper, about what transpired before the materialization of Samuel Ortom as the APC’s candidate in the past governorship election in the state. Therefore, I must acknowledge that what Mr. Bello narrated in that article was the obvious truth. Without Bello even telling anybody through his analysis but we all know that somebody (Senator Akume), who claimed to be the most powerful Political Gladiator in the state so far, did everything illegally possible to secure APC’s Governorship Ticket for the present Governor, Ortom.

However, despite giving a preferential treatment to Ortom, Benue people were truly tired about the tyrannical system of leadership exhibited by Mr. Gabriel Suswam, now the former governor of the state. Bringing the so called Tarzoo by Suswam to contest for governorship in the state, it was like imposing the young Tarzoo on the people due to the fact that the person who brought him was seemed to be untrustworthy felon who needed somebody like him to cover his fraudulent activities after leaving the office, and the best person for that covering job was him that Suswam brought and presented before the Benue People.

The issue to be noted here is that the so called Tahav Agerzua confidently denied this fact and as usual, attacked the writer, Mr Bello vehemently through his rejoinder.

I am not writing in defence of Mr. Bello but rather to lament on the needless attacks of Tahav Agerzua against anyone who criticize governor Ortom. Mr. Tahav Agerzua has benefited from almost every administration that came on board, right from 1999 to date. Any governor that is on board carries Agerzua along but I am yet to see the contribution of Tahav Agerzua towards the development of the state. I wonder why Mr. Agerzua cannot remain in one party. He is always jumping from one party to the other in order to remain in position of authority. Tahav Agerzua was the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Akume, now a serving senator. The same Tahav Agerzua worked as the Director, Media and Publicity to Gabriel Suswam’s Governorship Campaign Organization from June, 2006 to February, 2007 and he was compensated with an appointment. Notwithstanding, see Tahav Agerzua here again, serving as the Special Advisor to Governor Ortom on Media and ICT. Jumping from one party to the other and contributing nothing to the development of the state.

Our Benue leaders and beyond are always after their gains and not after the wellbeing of the poor masses and Mr. Tahav Agerzua is not an exception. One may wonder why I know so much about Agerzua and why I may commenting on his activities with a devoted interest. The truth is that I am tired of those people who claimed to be saints but more dangerous than those known to be dangerous. These saint people were in government and still in government but they are not doing any better from others. They keep blaming and accusing others of being corrupt as if they are good and better than those being accused. Can Tahav Agerzua swear that he has never embezzled or taken what belonged to the Benue people and enriched him-self? Senator Akume who ruled Benue State for good eight years, can he swear that he has never taken what belonged to the Benue People and enriched himself?  Can Senator Barnabas Gemade, who was the Deputy General Manager of Benue Cement and now senator, representing Benue North East, vow that he has never enriched himself with Benue money? Can the former Senate President, who is still a senator, Dr. David Mark, pledge that he has never in his life enriched himself with Benue money and beyond? Is there any former and current political office holder in Benue State and Nigeria at large that is not guilty of corruption? Remember, corruption is the wrong doing of the people, most especially those in the position of authority due to the fact that their own kind of corruption is rotten.

Conclusively, none of our leader that is a saint, both the former and the present ones, therefore, they should stop blaming, condemning and accusing others of being responsible to the problems we are facing now because they are all responsible. This is the time to work collectively beyond party, religion and tribally for the better development of our states and country. Mr. Tahav Agerzua should Change.

Awunah Pius Terwase,
A graduate of Mass Communication From,
Kaduna Polytechnic.
Wrote From Mpape,
Abuja.
08179289948
piusawunah@ymail.com

Hembe cause of crisis in Okpokwu - Deputy Speaker, Hon James Okefe

The leadership crisis in Okpokwu Local Government Area took a different turn this week as the caretaker chairman, Barr Chris Iduh and his EXCO appeared before the floor of Benue State House of Assembly to defend alleged allegations against the Deputy Speaker, Hon James Okefe.

The house had attributed to the chairman,  a post on Benuepost.blogspot.com in which the Deputy Speaker was accused of arm twisting the chairman into giving him a share of the council's monthly allocation. The House then invited the chairman and one Ati Terkula, a journalist and blogger who also published the post on his blog with the title "Okpokwu Local Government Crisis: The Untold Story"

Despite the thick air of suspicion surrounding the Deputy Speaker, the Assembly failed to quiz him, after which he was quick to make a press release claiming that he had been absolved of all allegations. It is interesting that the Benue State House of Assembly which has not passed a single bill since May pushed aside serious issues to discuss a Blog posting about it's Deputy Speaker. However, fresh revelations have emerged on how Hon Okefe courted the Okpokwu Local Government allocations in far away United States of America and now blames Hon. Herman Hembe, member representing Vandeikya/Konshisha federal constituency, for his woes in the local government.

It was gathered that a few months ago, at the Idoma Day Celebration in the US, Hon Okefe (who accompanied the Deputy Governor as part of the state delegation) met Hon Herman Hembe who is believed to have pushed for the nomination of Barr Chris Iduh for caretaker chairman.

Hon Hembe is said to have cashed in on the demand for the Edumoga people to produce the Chairman of the Council since Edumoga people make up 70 percent of the population of Okpokwu LGA whilst Okpoga where Hon Okefe comes from make up just 20 percent with Ichama bringing the last 10 percent. Barrister Iduh from Edumoga district was Hon Hembe's room mate in the University.

Hon Okefe demanded for his "share"  of the local government allocation from Hon Hembe at the meeting in the US but he was quickly rebuked by the federal member who told him to cast such thoughts away. After trying all avenues of getting his "share" to no avail, the Deputy Speaker has vowed to crush all in the wake of his political trajectory, the local Government chairman, Barr Chris Iduh and his friend Hon Herman Hembe inclusive.

When Benuepost.blogspot.com contacted Hon Okefe on the issue, he responded very angrily, shouting, "Who is Hembe, don't ever mention that name to me" before cutting the line.

All efforts to reach Hon Hembe were futile as he did not answer his phone nor return our call.

Revealed! The Real Hands Behind Okpokwu Local Government Crisis

It is no longer news that Okpokwu Local Government is currently embroiled in serious leadership and political crisis which has degenerated to serious issues of slander and blackmail concerning the local government's monthly allocation.

However investigation into the matter have revealed that the real hands Behind the crisis is the Special Adviser on Ethics and Value Orientation, Dr Godwin Ameh Idoko. Dr. Ameh whose appointment was made possible by the Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Hon. James Okefe.

According to our source, Idoko who is Okefe's political dependant was brought in by the Deputy Speaker, Hon James Okefe and together have been demanding for a share of the Okpokwu Local Government allocation from the caretaker chairman, Barr. Chris Idu.

Findings have however proven that there has actually been an arm twisting and cajole for the monthly allocation. This ploy has been uncovered to be hatched by the same Special Adviser and Deputy Speaker who have engaged in deep intrigues aimed at blackmailing and intimidating the caretaker chairman of Okpokwu Local Government, Bar. Chris Idu and anybody that opposes them.

However the chairman had allegedly refused to compromise in this regard, as according to him it will not be possible in this new dispensation due to the zero tolerance to corruption stance of the governor and the strict monitoring of local government funds.

It has been uncovered that the recent ploy is aimed at pulling the Governor into the battle as just recently the adviser, acting on the mandate of Hon Okefe went behind to Governor Ortom and demanded that he be allowed to choose the next Local Government Chairman in January 2016, the intention is to bring someone in who would compromise unlike the present one.

This plot which has not gone down well with the Deputy Governor who has insisted that the right thing should be done has also become an enemy to them and as a result they have taken the fight to him.

Our source further confirmed that in a recent meeting, the adviser referred to the Deputy Governor as "mere Deputy Governor" while inquiring what rights he had to interfere with Okpokwu Local Government matters.

The plot which has taken a rather dirty dimension as the adviser is now bent on causing a rift between the Deputy Governor and the Governor in a bid the play out the nefarious script of the Deputy Speaker.

In all of this, the deputy speaker has maintained an innocent front to avoid exposure of his treachery to the Governor. He has been boosting that the same Pastor that prayed for the Governor has also prayed for him to be the next Deputy Governor hence the motive behind his cat fight to become politically dominant at the cost of the electorate. 

Unveiled! How Suswam Looted Benue

A peep into how the finances of Benue State were looted by officials in the administration of Gabriel Suswam, the immediate past governor of the state have begun to emerge with mind boggling revelations on government expenditures.
These revelations were contained in a two-volume report submitted to Governor Samuel Ortom Wednesday at the old Banquet Hall in the Peoples Government House, Makurdi by the 16-member Transistion Committee, led by its Chairman Transition Mr Mike Iordye.

In his seven page speech, the Transition Committee Chairman disclosed that "during the tenure of the immediate past administration in the state, there was very high level of impunity in the business of governance. There appeared to be a calculated atmosphere of confusion, as governmnet institutions like that Civil Service Commission that would have ordinarily provided the needed direction, championed the course of impunity in the state."
The committee also announced that investigations showed that the former administration left a debt burden of over N130billion.
A preliminary report had indicated that the state owed 90bilion.
Consequently, the Committee observed that throughout the eight year tenure of the last PDP administration in the state led by Suswam, "rules, regulations and procedures governing the conduct of government business were brazenly set aside. This facilitated the subsequent massive corruption, fraud and naked theft of government funds which took pla in the state."
For example, Iordye further stated that "contracts were heavily inflated" with many of them "abandoned across the MDA's, especially at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Environment and Urban Development, Ministry of Lands and Survey, Government House, and the ministry of Water Resources and it's parastatal, BERWASA. This happened after the contractors had collected huge sums of money."
Apart from the huge debt profile the Suswam administration left behind, there were questionable expenditures carried out by officials of the state in the past administration.
One of such blatant disregard to prudence in the expenditure of the state finances is how a whopping sum of over N6.507billion meant for SURE-P, a federal government initiative in the state with a total receipt of N7.743billion disappeared and was not accounted for leaving a paltry total expenditure at N1.236billion from May, 2012 to December,2014.
The committe also found out that in 2014, a stockbroking firm known as M/S Elizir Securities were mandated by the former Benue state Governor Suswam through the former State Commissioner of finance, Hon. Omadachi Oklobia to "sell down N10 billion worth of stock" belonging to the state governmnet. After the sales, the "sum of N8,368,699,932.30 was subsequently realised".
However, out of this amount, the "committee found out that a sum of N5.3 billion was paid into a Zenith Bank Account No. 1013852648 which was found to be an expenditure account of the ministry of finance. The other Zenith Bank account No. 1013677218 where the sum of N2,068,699,932.30 was paid into was found not to belong to Ministry of Finance or any agency of the Benue state government."
Unfortunately, the transition committee told the governor that "all efforts by the committee to trace the identity or owner of the account failed as neither BIPC nor Elixir securities were willing to co-operate."
Another questionable financial transactions discovered against the administration of Suswam was how the "sum of N4,364,653,985,00 was said to have been transfered to government treasury from the expenditure account of the ministry of finance, while the sum of N355,931,979.00 was transferred back to BIPC and the balance of N534,700,000.00 was withdrawn and paid in cash on curious expenditure heads within just four months.
A close look at the books of the state showed that on October 17, 2014, the sum of N60Million was alleged to have been spent on a what the officials termed "Military Retreat," while the sums of N500million, N45million and N128million was withdrawn on 14th and 20th November, 2014 as well as January 12, 2015 under a "Government House expenditure" account purported to be augmentation of the accounts of the seat of government.
On January 13th and 14th, 2015, officials in the Benue state Government House under Suswam again withdrew cash in two tranches to the tune of N100million and N17million while another phoney cash withdrawal under what they called "UBA Capital" to the tune of N29.7million was made.
On the debt profile of the state, the Committee discovered that as at the time the administration of Ortom took over, arrears of pensions and gratuties stood at over N16.7billion, arrears of salaries were over N9.5billion while contractual obligations was N72.03billion. Commercial bank loans stood at N11.129billion, CBN loans N585million, State Revenue Bond N9.694billion, Foreign Loans N9.818billion with judgement debt standing at N1.236billion totalling over N130billion.
The committee revealed that inspite of glaring financial recklessness disvovered, it had not taken a look at the local government debts "except arrears of pension and gratuity which was presented by the local government pension Board to be N10,065,633,415.26."
Iordye who was at one time Head of Service in the Suswam administration explained that in the course of its work, "the committee found with utmost dismay that there were many industries in the state and other commercial investments and a large number of them were on lease for long periods of time at ridiculously low prices."
As one of ways for the committee to get to the root of some false declarations in the handover notes, the Committee on Friday 3rd July, 2015 undertook the inspection tour of Oju local government are to "confirm the existence" of 751 non existent boreholes claimed to have been sunk by the Benue state Rural Water and Sanitation Agency, BERWASA.
Committee Chairman called on the state government to recover these monies immediately.
The committee's five-point term of reference included among others;
*to study the handing over notes of the immediate past administration under the leadership of Rt. Hon Gabriel Torwua Suswam, interact with all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the State Public Service and ascertain the state of Affairs as at the time of handover.
*To ascertain the assets of the state including physical assets and investments,
*To ascertain the level of indebtedness of the state including commercial Bank Loans, State Revenue Bond; Arrears of Pensions and Arrears of Gratuities, indebtedness to contractors, judgement debts; Foreign Loans; Arrears of Salaries; and CBN loans;
* To review the revenue collection machinery of the state with a view to improving revenue generation; and
*To consider any other matter incidental to the smooth take off of government.
Members of the 16 member Transition Committee include Mike Iordye, Akange Audu, Arc Joe Kyaagba, Terwase Orbunde, Barr Tagema Takema, Maj-Gen Lawrence Onoja (rtd) as well as Prof Johnson Onah.
Others are Prof Steve Ugbah, Rhoda Ako, Hon Titus Zam, Paul Udenyi, Patricia Kupchi, Dr Christopher Obilikwu Obute, Mrs Helen Bendega, Nancy Awuese Torhee as well as Boniface Nyaakor, the director of EXCO who also served as secretary of the committee

Benue Government Inaugurates Probe Committee Members

The Benue State governor,  Samuel Ortom today inaugurated two committees to probe the activities of the state government from June 2007 to May 2015.
The two committees were tasked with the verification of funds accrued to the state and received  from the federal government as well as government assets within the time frame including revenue.

The fund verification committee was tasked with ascertaining the quantum of shares/stock owned by the Benue state in  companies or enterprises. And the status of such shares, including the circumstances that led to the sale of state owned shares/stock and their worth or value and also identify the investors who bought these shares/stock and determine whether the transactions followed due process of law.
The team which comprises of seven members namely; Hon Justice E N Kpojime ( chairman), Barr JI Abaagu, Rev Prof Francis Wegh, Dr Christopher Obute, Jacob Mulya, Mr Sekegh Akaa(secretary, Michael Albert (Lead counsel), were also mandated to Ascertain the whereabout of the proceeds of the sale of such shares, determine if government of Benue state has any equity left in the said companies and value of such equity and also if funds realised above were appropriated.
They are also to find out the application and utilisation of such funds while establishing misappropriation if any and identify the person or persons involved, as well as recommend appropriate actions to the government.
Also inaugurated was the sale/lease of government assets commission of inquiry which also comprised of six members namely;  Barrister Moses Atagher (chairman), Mr Ngutor Anyam, Barr omale omale, Prof moses ogbaje, Rep commissioner of police, Mr Andrew Amee(Secretary).
The commission was tasked with the responsibility of identifying all government properties that have been sold/leased since June 2007 and determine the status and correct value of such properties as at time of sale.
It will also dentify those who bought or took on lease such properties and in case of lease determine what improvements have been made and the subsisting interest of government in transaction, determining the value of the sale / lease and establish whether the transactions were in the interest of the government and if due process was followed.
The commission will determine whether the terms of the lease agreement have been complied with and generally review all such transactions and advise government on the appointment so actions in the interest of the people and good governance.
Both committees were given six months to submit their report