From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has described as callous accusations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the Benue government and its people are rustling cattle belonging to Fulani herdsmen in the state.
The party said it was unfortunate that the APC cited that as a reason for the continuing spree of wanton killings and destruction by the herdsmen in the state.
State Publicity Secretary of the PDP Bemgba Iortyom stated this in response to a recent press conference in Makurdi where the APC accused the state Governor of using the Benue State Livestock Guards for illegal means.
The PDP said this latest round of APC’s accusations against the government and people of Benue are callous and come at such most unfortunate moments, just days after the herdsmen launched an unprovoked bloody attack on Abagana, a community situated at the outskirts of Makurdi, the Benue State capital city, directly opposite the main camp for persons internally displaced from their ancestral homes by the herdsmen attacks and taking refuge there.
“The attack on Abagana had left nine persons dead among them children, with a family of six wiped out and many still missing and unaccounted for, but leaders of APC in Benue have made it a habit of choosing moments when the people are most in anguish and grief over the atrocities of the herdsmen to indulge in their dance of naked shame.
He recalled that on 11th January 2018, the day 73 victims who had been massacred by the herdsmen were being mass buried in Makurdi, the leader of APC in Benue currently Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, had said that the herdsmen were not responsible for the killings but that it was Benue people who were killing themselves.
The PDP which noted that the APC has been playing negative politics with the lives of the Benue people said “We are aware that the APC in Benue is in an extremely pathetic state of ill health and even on life-support, with the recent voiding by the Appeal Court of its governorship primaries and the likelihood of it not even fielding a governorship candidate for the 2023 elections;
“We are aware the opposition party up to this moment does not have even a plan to carry out campaigns in Benue State for the coming polls, having they neither the human nor material resources to do so and will be relying on another hope of a fabled “federal might” intervention from Abuja to award to them victory.”
The party cautioned the APC to put their desperation in check saying “Come February 25th and March 11th, 2023, the Benue electorate will speak through their votes to safeguard their land from the greed and lust of external land grabbers and their agents here in the state.”