The APC gubernatorial primaries that produced the APC candidate and eventual winner of the position of Governor of Benue State, Very Rev Fr Dr Hyacinth Iormen Alia was a sham to most onlookers. After the caricature nominations, Chief Engr Barnabas Gemade, Chief Mike Kaase Aondoaka and Prof Terhemba Shija who were top contenders in the race, went to court , but even there, there was no justice for them . The “then” leader of the party in Benue State, Distinguished Senator George Akume, seemed to have given very strict instructions that Rev Fr Alia should be returned. He stood by this decision and ensured that he made to the ballot party.
To have this command in APC , George Akume stepped on many toes and was radical as he was disruptive. It took him many sacrifices and tough decisions to earn his godfathership ! The story began in 2009 ! In 2007, two years earlier, George Akume had made history . He became the first person since 1976 to be Chief Executive of Benue State for 8 years. He became the first person since 1979 to to win and complete his two terms of 8 years. He also made history of handing over to someone in his party and also made history of going to the senate immediately after his tenure as governor.
Akume also did something very significant before handing over to his successor, Gabriel Suswam. He broke the shackles of opposition politics in the state by decamping the symbol of anti establishment in Benue Politics since 1969, Wantaregh Paul Iyorpuu Unongo, from ANPP to PDP. As he left office, George Akume established PDP in Benue State as a very comfortable house without major opposition, gave the keys to Suswam and retired in the senate !
For being on the throne for 8 years, Akume also began to gather loyalists, party men and women and of course, stakeholders. Ordinarily, he had to oil them and they also still needed a space in Benue PDP where Suswam was governor. The Suswam years seemed difficult for Akume and his gang. Suswam was ready to become a power broker Immediately. He needed his space ! So In 2009 , as most politicians began to think of the next election in 2011, the rift between Akume and Suswam became public knowledge.
Akume had two options as elections approached in the face of Suswam’s animosity to him in PDP: to stay back in the party and fight over structures with Suswam or look for “his” party, cause some few changes and take over . He decided on the latter! In the 2007 election, a section of the PDP had broken away and attempted to tag along a new party known as AC. Party AC was basically made up of Atiku Abubarka’s men and women who wanted to cause change in the polity. The party was now also changing to ACN. Akume moved his people, displaced and occupy the ACN. This was a daring move. Suswam as governor had learnt so fast and was consolidating power .
Suswam was also making a very big mistake in his bid to hold to power . He was allowing strategic members of the PDP to leave the party – by 2015, unlike his predecessor who was wooing people in the PDP, Suswam had used his 8 years to send Akume , Unongo , Gemade , Iorwase Hembe , Joseph Akaagerger Iber , Samuel Ortom etc all left along the line – the list of party men who left PDP when Suswam was governor, is endless . On the surface, PDP appeared strong, but it was weak, because many of the members had left .
In 2011, Akume had a platform to contest and win his election for a second term back to the senate , but this platform, his “new” party, ACN couldn’t take over Benue State. He only established himself as the main opposition leader . In 2011, other opposition parties in Benue State were ANPP, CPC and in a way, APGA.
Since Unongo left ANPP in 2007, the leadership of the party fell on Prof Daniel Saror , two term Senator and Candidate of ANPP in the governorship election of 2007 and 2011. The CPC which was a splinter group from the ANPP was also waxing strong. In 2013/14 merger talks of a mega party were in top gear to involve ACN, ANPP, CPC, APGA and later a splinter group of PDP- somehow, Akume outsmarted the leaders of all the political parties ! He didn’t give anyone position to question his schemes .
So as the mega party known as APC would take roots in Nigeria and Benue in the 2015 General Elections , Akume automatically became the leader of the party ! Many leaders of the other parties in the merger talks who didn’t want to be loyal to The Leader were sent out , or frustrated! It was Akume’s ability to fight ruthlessly that he WAS and has been able to become The Political Leader where what he wants is done !
It was same platform that Akume gave to Samuel Ortom in 2015. When Ortom had issues with him, he left the structures and went to PDP. He didn’t snatch the structures that Akume toiled over the years to build . Akume has rights through experience to decide whatever happens in APC ! He actualized this status by playing dirty politics and employing skillful tackles that favour him and his gang !
Trying to , or actually taking over someone’s political structures in Benue politics since 1951, have been perfected and implimented successfully only by Sir George Akume. As Rev Fr Dr Hyacinth Iormen Alia tries to disrupt his structures, as recent politics in the state suggests , is Gov Alia not only being a fast learner or is he only being foolhardy?
