Opinion: Why The Tivs Need to Leave Zone C rerun Election

Are We Not Tired Of David Mark's Issue
By Iorkegh Donatus

I must warn. I do not intend to elicit any reaction to this post except if you are willing to be polite enough. I'm only stating my opinion which I'm entitled to. So please keep off.

16yrs ago, when democracy returned in Nigeria, we had several representatives at the national assembly. The Benue national Assembly delegation comprises of 3 senators and 11 House of Representatives. But since the David Mark as a senator for Zone C for 16yrs has sparked controversies, my opinion will also be limited to the senate, and since we don't hold our house of Rep members accountable, hence most of them don't have constituency offices or dormant constituency offices.



In the past years, the Two senatorial districts of the Tiv speaking areas of Benue have experimented so many people in the senate, for instance in zone B they have had the Joshua Adagba, Fred Oti and now Akume. In the zone A area, they had Akargerger, the Barnabas Gemade etc. But none of them has left any big shoe or legacy. They only occupied the positions with no direct impact on their people apart from sharing stolen money with their goons and cohorts during elections (of course people love them because they play by the rules in their own right, dishing out chunks of mint notes to win elections). They have even had better opportunities to develop the Tiv nation more than David Mark. For example Gemade was a former minister of works, former PDP National chairman (very close to the president) and is now a second term senator. While the most embarrassing personae that had a lot to have turned at least Makurdi or Gboko (our only pride) into a modern city, he resorted into massive sharing of money with his recruited cronies in the "Akume Thank You" ideology. From his period as governor, oil prices were booming and federal allocation was full to the grim. Yet he owed Teachers a lot of salary collaborating with Dr Laha Dzever then who carted away with the popular " June, July" salaries which latter shut primary schools down for a long period.
His counterpart in Lagos state Bola Tinubu raised very descent crop of leaders like former Lagos governor Fashola, his successor, Ambode, current vice president Osibanjo, current Osun State governor Aregbesola, and current FIRS chairman. Who can we boast of him that is credible? Is it Suwsam? Or Ortom that he tow around.
If the Idomas want they should remove their only pride David Mark who has done a lot for them. They cannot erase the Akpe-Gede golf course which is second biggest in Nigeria that has employed their mothers to crop flowers and irrigate grasses, they cannot do away with joy transport, joy FM which employs mostly Idoma youths, history will not forgive them if they forget all the federal appointments and scholarships he gave to their brothers and sisters.( In fact, I used to cry when I see them collecting David Mark's Allowances when I was in Zaria).
The only crime David Mark has committed is the failed APA State. But no state creation has taken place since he started promising them for APA State. Left for me I would say he has tried even in that direction. At least if our Tiv senators give Katsina-Ala state publicity the way David Mark has given APA State, I would say we are also in the path of having a state someday that is purely Tivs. But all they do is "Sidon De look", blaming David Mark for their irresponsibility.
It is high time they started thinking of a way to salvage the hunger in Tiv land than pumping money into an election that only a section of the state can decide the fate of its candidates. Let them be aware that people have learnt their winning tactics and 2019 is not far to forget too soon. If not, the people will " Rise and rise again until Lambs become Lions" - Robin Hood.