Jechira Youths Apologise to Ortom, Request 2027 Governorship Slot
A delegation of Jechira youths across party lines, under the auspices of the Jechira Strategic Partnership Youth Forum (JSPYF), led by Comrade Alabar Tersoo, on Thursday visited the immediate past Governor of Benue State and Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Chief Samuel Ortom, to formally apologize for what they described as the “abysmal and poor leadership” of the current Governor, Hyacinth Alia.
The group acknowledged that Governor Alia was handed power largely due to Chief Ortom’s zoning arrangement and appealed to the former governor to once again come to their aid by ensuring that the Jechira axis produces another governor in 2027 to complete its eight-year tenure.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Comrade Alabar likened governance to a football match, insisting that when a player underperforms, the game is not moved to another venue but the player is substituted to allow a new one with fresh energy and a different approach to take over.
Other speakers, including the APC Ter Jechira in Makurdi, Benjamin Nekpum; APC State Youth Leader, Comrade Tertindi Adom; House of Representatives aspirant on the platform of the ADC, Agav Solomon; Cyndi Aondona of the APC; and Mercy Ahangba of the PDP, all appealed to Chief Ortom to support another Jechira governorship bid in 2027 to “complete their eight-year term.”
The delegation, drawn from APC, PDP, APGA and ADC, unanimously criticised Governor Alia’s handling of security, particularly faulting what they described as genocide denial, failure to protect communities, lack of unity, divisive utterances, disrespect for leaders and zero accountability. They argued that the Jechira intermediate area should be given the opportunity to correct the mistake in 2027.
In his response, Chief Ortom thanked the delegation for the visit and commended them for their maturity and unity of purpose in coming together across party lines to pursue a common agenda.
While enjoining the youth to pray for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Alia and leaders at all levels to succeed, the former governor urged them to also consult the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, whom he described as the leader of Benue politics, as well as other leaders.
Present at the meeting were former Commissioner for Education, Professor Dennis Ityavyar; former Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr Terver Akase; former Principal Special Assistant on Special Duties, Hon. Abrahams Kwaghngu; and the PDP Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area, Hon. Paul Tion.
