Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Benue For Good Governance has condemned yesterday’s declaration of a former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Barrister Emmanuel Jime to contest the 2027 Senatorial election in Benue Northwest Senatorial Zone.
The advocacy group which made this condemnation through a press statement signed by its National coordinator, Barrister Samuel Ijohor also called on the aspirant to present his scorecards first before coming out for any elective post.
According to the group, Jime should explain his disrespect to the Tiv Traditional Council which gave him and his wife Chieftaincy titles last week.
“Jime has a bad attitude and it’s that he doesn’t attend functions with his wife and biological children. He recently disgraced the Tiv Traditional Council by failing to bring his wife to attend the recent conferment of Chieftaincy titles on them. That was a big disgrace to the Tiv Traditional stool.
“Nobody knows his wife or children. He has no building in the entire Benue State. Despite that he has benefitted so much politically, Jime is living in a house built by the government for Loan income earners in Aper Aku Estate, North Bank. . He has no business in the state so let him mention the ties or stake he has in the state.
“Emmanuel Jime is living like a foreigner who doesn’t even have a base in Benue state because his chambers and houses are outside the state. We can only be sure of his seriousness if he has a Chamber or businesses in Benue state where he is employing the people of the State. How can someone who has never touched any life positively want to be a senator. We will surely give him the same treatment we gave him in 2019” the group said.
“This is os the same Jime who severally threatened to dethrone the Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse over what he described as disloyalty to his 2019 governorship ambition. Jime had in 2018 accused the Tiv monarch of showing much loyalty to the then governor who was also his rival, Chief Samuel Ortom PhD” the group said further.
According to the group, “to whom much is given much is expected. Barrister Jime’s senatorial is inordinate. How can we trust him with a Senate seat when he has failed as a lawmaker in the state House of Assembly and the House of Representatives. He also failed at NEPZA as well as the Shippers Council
“We are imploring Mr. Jime to make public his achievements as Speaker of the House of Assembly as well as a member of the House of Representatives of there was any.
“Jime didn’t secure any appointment for anyone as a State and federal lawmaker. There was no federal presence in Makurdi/Guma when he was a federal lawmaker.
“Can he mention his private investment or his Law Chambers in Benue state where he has employed the people of the State to work? How can he say he wants to represent a whole senatorial Zone when he has failed in just two local governments as a federal lawmaker.
“Instead of Jime to develop his federal constituency as a federal lawmaker, he was busy fighting and bullying his colleagues at every slightest provocation. He should now explain why he can be trusted to be a senator”
The group also challenged Barrister Jime to mention his achievements at NEPZA and Shipper Council where he sat on billions of Naira. What was he able to do to help the people of Benue with the positions he held both at NEPZA and the Shippers Council. He was always complaining that there was no money at the Shippers Council.
Benue For Good Governance also asked Jime to explain his dangerous roles in the financing of the Fulani herders association in Benue state in 2018.
“Several people of the State were killed by Fulani herders between 2015 and 2018. Barrister Jime was directly involved in the provision of funds for the marauders who were hell bent on taking Benue lands” the group accused.
On Zoning, the group stated that it will fight it to ensure that Jime doesn’t emerge since the zoning arrangement doesn’t favour him. The group alleged that both Jime and the current Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Berger Alfred are from the same Council Ward. “How can he also be senator If equity and fairness are to be put in place in 2026.
“Barrister Emmanuel Jime’s clan, Ihyerev has produced senator twice while Masev clan has also produced senator twice So there is no way Zoning will favour him” the group stated.
The group also challenged Jine to explain why he has been avoiding to be seen with Governor Hyacinth Alia until few days ago that the structure of the All Progressive Congress in Benue State was officially handed over to the governor.
“Since the leadership tussle between Akume and Alia started, Jime has distanced himself from the governor’s camp because he wasn’t sure that the governor would retain the structure of the party.
“The same Jime would run to Rotimi Amaechi of the African Democratic Congress today, tomorrow, he would run to Senator George Akume for negotiations. He didn’t believe in Father Hyacinth Alia’s leadership and that was why he missed all the events of the party under Alia’s leadership. He didn’t attend the Pre-decamping dinner as well as the major stakeholders meeting in Makurdi.
“Why is he now showing up now that the structure of the party in Benue state has been officially given to the governor”