Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Benue Defenders, a pressure group in Benue state has raised an alarm over plots to bribe the Judiciary with a sum of $1m to rule against the will of the masses in the ongoing local government elections petitions holding at the Nigerian Bar Association house in Abuja.
Speaking during a well attended press conference this morning in Makurdi, the capital town of Benue state, the leader of Benue Defenders, Commander Victor Apine alleged that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume has been in talks with the embattled Chief Judge of the state, Maurice Ikpambese whom he handed over the said money to last night.
Commander Victor Apine accused further that none of the presiding judges agreed to collect the bribe from Ikpambese for the Tribunal to rule in favour of the opposition parties except for Justice Omale who collected it and agreed to give a contradictory ruling.
Benue Defenders through Commander Victor Apine further stated that Senator Akume has always wanted to use the Social Democratic Party to build his “secretly-nurtured” 2027 presidential ambition hence his supports to the opposition parties in the ongoing legal tussle at the NBA House in Abuja.
“His plans are to secure illegal judgement for the chairmanship and councillorship candidates of the opposition parties so that he can be in control of local government funds to bankroll his own ambition. And for the sake of the record, his contact man at the Tribunal is the former state publicity secretary of the APC in Benue, Mr. Dan-Morgan Ihomun.
“Now that they are trying to bribe the presiding judges through Ikpambese, we are alerting the Nigerian authorities to assist in arresting a situation where the will of the masses during the last Local Government elections will be thrown into the air.
“How can Senator Akume be working against his own party, the APC, that gave him the position he is enjoying today as the SGF? How does he expect President Bola Tinubu to win in Benue state in 2027 now that he wants to give the entire state to the opposition parties just for his selfish interest” Apine said.
The group also condemned a statement by a “faceless” North Central forum which declared the SGF as the leader of the All Progressive Congress in the entire North Central.
“How can Akume be the leader of the APC in Benue state when we have a sitting governor who presides over the affairs of the party. How can he be the leader of APC in other North Central states when they have governors that are automatically the leaders of the party in their respective states.
“The faceless group lied that Dr. Akume will give 6 million votes to President Bola Tinubu in 2027. How can they do that now that the same Akume has been working together with the opposition parties” a part of the text of the press conference reads.