Nigerian Concord Newspaper
A recent Online Opinion Poll about who best fits to be the senator that will represent the Benue Northwest Senatorial Zone between the current occupant, Senator Titus Zam and another aspirant for the position, Barrister Emmanuel Jime has disqualified the duo as a result of their poor performances in public offices they had held in the past.
Recall that recently, Mr. Jime was in Gboko for a function where he publicly accused Senator Titus Zam of incompetence and poor performance as senator but most of those that partook in the online poll said that the same thing applies to Jime whom they said has failed woefully as a public office holder.
They described it as “Like Zam Like Jime” situation since he too had failed as a Speaker of the State House of Assembly, as a member of the House of Representatives representing Guma/Makurdi Federal Constituency, as the head of NEPZA and as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council.
According to contributors to the Online Opinion Poll which was organized by Benue For Good Governance, an advocacy group in Benue state, Mr. Titus Zam cannot also claim that he has offered anything as a public servant too.
They stated that he too failed as a local government chairman, as the head of the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and as a senator.
Recently, Mr. Titus Zam was dragged before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for his involvement in a N3.785 billion fraud. He orchestrated this fraud while he held sway as the head of the Bureau between 2015 and 2018 before he was booted out by the then governor, Chief Samuel Ortom, PhD.
Contributors on the Opinion Poll said that it would be disastrous to trust Zam for a second term as senator since he recently said it openly that his achievement as a senator for over two years is his loyalty to Senator George Akume.
They said that it’s clear that he won his first election as senator as a result of President Bola Tinubu’s factor and the “Emi lokan” matra.
“Fielding him now will give the strongest of the opposition parties a smooth ride to victory in 2027 as it seems that he (Zam) has been roundly rejected by the electorates of the Benue Northwest Senatorial Zone.
They also made reference to a recent accusation that he was involved in one N250million NANO load fraud. “How can we trust a man who diverted a loan made available to his constituents to his personal use? They said.
Some contributors traced Zam’s failure to his days as a local government chairman. As Gwer West local government chairman,they said Zam presided over a band of frauds with no achievement to point at after leaving office.
“If his achievement is to be carrying bags for Senator Godswil Akpabio and to also serve Senator George Akume, then he has nothing to go and do in the Senate in 2027. The APC should be careful because forcing him on the electorates won’t bring any positive result as he has been rejected by voters” a contributor stated.
Another contributor said that it’s sad that Zam used Tinubu’s popularity to win his senatorial election in 2023 because he hasn’t been forgiven over how he looted pubic funds at the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs before he was sacked as a result of his multiple corrupt acts.
He added that the senator should account for the over N1.2billion he has received to do constituency projects apart from the hotels he has been using masses money to build for himself..
For Jime, many contributors said that it’s hard to even know the political party which he belongs to even though he is claiming to be with the camp of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
“He has been seen with virtually all the political parties. He was once romancing Amaechi Rotimi and Herman Hembe in order to get the ADC ticket. At some points, he was heard discussing the senatorial ticket with stakeholders of the PDP in Benue Northwest. There was a point he was begging Senator George Akume to consider him. How can we trust such man who has a very high degree of falsity” they said.
Some contributors stated that Jime should firstly bring out all the money he looted at the Shippers Council before talking of contesting any election.
“How can he say that there was no money at the Shippers Council when the current occupant, Mr. Pius Akutah has been painting the entire Benue State red with the hundreds of millions of Naira he has been able to loot since he assumed duties as the head of the Council.” A contributor queried.
They said that he cannot even contest because of zoning issue as he cannot want to be senator from the same clan where the current Speaker of the State House of Assembly is from.
They added that he had the poorest record at the Shippers Council as well as NEPZA because he didn’t help anyone from Benue State while in the two offices. They also noted that his tenure as speaker of State House of Assembly was full of violence and poor performance.
They said that Jime had no integrity and achievements as a member of the House of Representatives apart from removing his shirts in the public to fight his colleagues over trivial issues..
According to them, Guma/Makurdi witnessed the worst representation with no federal presence under Jime as their federal lawmaker.
The Online Opinion Poll however advised the All Progressive Congress both in Benue and Abuja not to field anyone between Zam and Jime as its senatorial candidate for Benue Northwest, noting that fielding any of them will give victory to another party as voters have decided not to elect failed persons as their representative.