By Aare Abiodun Oluwarotimi
I have read so many posts on Social Media today about the unscheduled visit of Mr. Governor to the Maitama residence of his estranged godfather, Senator Akume and it’s like waoh!
I quickly want to inform everyone that Governor Alia didn’t go to reconcile with Senator George Akume. He only went there to honour a clear and straight directive by President Bola Tinubu to meet with Akume in order for them to find a lasting solution to Benue killings. Just the same way the governor will soon be meeting Chief Samuel Ortom PhD, Senator Gabriel Suswam PhD and Elder Atom Kpera.
For the sake of clarity, the governor didn’t go to Senator George Akume’s house to discuss the Benue APC crisis. Nothing has been resolved as the status quo remains intact.
As regards the security aspect, everyone including me who has partial ties to Benue because my maternal grandmother was from Gboko wants them to talk so that the killings can stop. Recall that both camps had accused each other of fueling the killings in the past.
On the issue of the Benue APC crisis, let’s not celebrate yet as nothing about this has been discussed.. However, they will discuss but will never agree.
For Senator George Akume, he will only let go if the following can be met by Father Hyacinth Alia: Return Austin Agada back as Benue APC chairman as well as all his men as the party’s local government executives, dissolution of the State Government Executive Council, allow him (SGF) to nominate 40% of the Cabinet with the SSG and Chief of Staff, accept his nominations for BIRS and Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, removal of Dajoh Aondoana as Speaker and installing Becky Orpine as a new Speaker, dissolve the Principal Officers of the Benue State House of Assembly and appoint new ones that will be approved by Austin Agada. He will want all these done for him to be able to reclaim the leadership of the party in the state.
For Governor Hyacinth Alia, all these he can never accept except for one or two as it will amount to striping him of his executive powers. He will still prefer the Unity Caretaker Committee led by Chief Benjamin Omale to pilot the affairs of the party in Benue. He won’t agree to remove a controversial fighter like Paul biam as his Chief of Staff. The SSG can go as whoever Akume may nominate will strictly be put under a serious check. The governor will never compromise his firm control of the House of Assembly with Dajoh Aondoana as the Speaker. The Principal Officers are his back bones, he won’t agree to reshuffle them. He can succumb to a Cabinet reshufflement to accept like 30% nominees from the SGF but for the BIRS and Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the governor won’t succumb because they are the Benue Government’s CBN.
Those that will be very lucky are the local government chairmen, their deputies and all the councillors. Their saving grace is that the Appeal Court had already ruled in their favour. They would have been the first casualties if truly a genuine reconciliation is taking place between Alia and Akume. However, all the twenty three local government chairmen will be asked to sack their secretaries while the stakeholders will nominate their own persons as local government secretaries to monitor if Local Government Autonomy is fully complied with.
Conclusion: The crisis within the Benue APC will remain unresolved just as two parallel lines will never meet.
I am Aare Abiodun Oluwarotimi, De Oracular Oracle that eats jollof rice in the shrine..