ACCORDING to Greek mythology, Achilles was the famous Greek hero of the Illiad. When he was a baby, he had been dipped by his mother, Thetis, in the river Styx in order to make him invulnerable. The heel by which she held him was not touched by the water, and throughout his life, this part of his body was his weak point. As the principal hero of the Trojan War, Achilles killed the Trojan hero, Hector, before being fatally wounded in the heel (the weak part of his body) with an arrow fired by Paris.
The experience of the Idoma nation in the quest to occupy the number one exalted political position in Benue State since its creation on February 3, 1976 can be likened to the flaw of Achilles in the Trojan War. It is against this background that the Idoma people of Benue State ought to discover their impediments to the actualisation of their dream of producing a governor of Idoma extraction in 2023 and resolve them otherwise they might be chasing the wind as it was in the previous general elections.
The crabs have the attitude of preventing or dragging each other from accessing food and in the end they all end up without getting the food. The attitude of the crabs appears to be what obtains among Idoma elites and Idoma generally. The Idomas have denied themselves several opportunities both at the state and federal levels due to clash of egos and unhealthy prejudice towards one another. Until the weak point of being unable to reach a consensus is resolved beginning from the aspirants, then it is impossible to achieve the goal of 2023. It is not possible to reach out to the Tiv for a consensus without first achieving such a consensus from the home front.
Democracy is a game of number and for one to aspire for any political office; it takes one to pull the majority in order to succeed. As we all know, the Tiv people of Benue State constitute the majority group as far as political decisions are concerned in the state. This is what the Idomas ought to realise and how to be able to break through the majority so as to achieve the goal of 2023.
In an interview granted to a group of Idoma editors in Abuja on August 8, 2020, a two-time governor of Benue State and current Senator representing Benue North West (Zone A) senatorial district at the National Assembly, Gabriel Suswan, said it was possible for Zone C to produce the next governor if the Idoma leaders continued to reach out to their counterparts in Tiv land.
He said: “Governorship is a consensus thing and I believe that the Idoma elders are reaching out. It’s not a decision that one person can sit down and take. I expect the Idoma elders to continue to reach out. Let them reach out to people like us, reach out to the Governor, reach out to leaders like Senator Akume, Senator Gemade and a host of other Tiv interest groups.”
Senator Suswan’s suggestion appears futile because Senator Gemade, one of the actors he (Suswan) mentioned, is already a strong contender for the number one seat in Benue State come 2023. Moreover, much outreach has been done in the previous campaigns with little or no positive result. The fact remains that the Idomas have the political weak point as the minority in the state and they need the collaborative efforts of the Tiv to be able to produce a governor of Idoma extraction in 2023.
It is said that charity begins at home. Is there a consensus among Idomas, especially the elites and prospective gubernatorial aspirants of Idoma extraction? As it stands, some Idoma sons and daughters have indicated interest in becoming the next governor of Benue State. As usual, they may disagree to come up with a consensus candidate since everyone wants to be in Government House at the same time (which is impossible).
The next electioneering is fast approaching and the endorsement of various aspirants from both Idoma and Tiv axes has been going on. The earlier the Idomas realise their Achilles heel in the project of producing a governor in 2023 general election, the better for all of us. Whether a governor of Benue State of Idoma extraction will be a reality or not, the coming months and years before and after 2023 general election will tell.
The crabs have the attitude of preventing or dragging each other from accessing food and in the end they all end up without getting the food. The attitude of the crabs appears to be what obtains among Idoma elites and Idoma generally. The Idomas have denied themselves several opportunities both at the state and federal levels due to clash of egos and unhealthy prejudice towards one another. Until the weak point of being unable to reach a consensus is resolved beginning from the aspirants, then it is impossible to achieve the goal of 2023. It is not possible to reach out to the Tiv for a consensus without first achieving such a consensus from the home front.
The traditional institution in Idoma land is impotent and therefore it lacks traditional or cultural authority to exercise hegemonic influence over the political class in Idoma land. The traditional rulers have even become mere tools and pawns in the hands of the politicians because of the expected gratifications and certain favours they receive from these politicians. Consequently, there is a general sense of disrespect and disloyalty to the traditional institutions in Idoma land, because most traditional rulers have soiled their hands and have become less powerful to advise the politicians on matters that would have propelled Idomas to occupy the number one political seat in Benue State come 2023.
Unhealthy internal politics is, no doubt, one of the most challenging obstacles working against Idomas’ ambition of producing the first governor of Idoma extraction. There is high level of prejudice, scapegoating, and unnecessary character assassination among the Idoma elites in matters of political interests. It is a well-known fact that we all have different political views. Even in a family set up; a father and his son are seen to belong to distinct political parties, which is normal.
For the Idomas to resolve these political differences in terms of producing a governor in 2023 or anytime for that matter; they need to ignore party boundaries to support a sole candidate, putting aside political differences during the gubernatorial election after which they can return to their political folds. Political differences can, and will, impede the realisation of Idomas’ dream in 2023 unless there is a melting point where every Idoma will have to belong to the same platform to elect a consensus candidate.
The next electioneering is fast approaching and the endorsement of various aspirants from both Idoma and Tiv axes has been going on. The earlier the Idomas realise their Achilles heel in the project of producing a governor in 2023 general election, the better for all of us. Whether a governor of Benue State of Idoma extraction will be a reality or not, the coming months and years before and after 2023 general election will tell.
Alleh, an educator, writes from Jos, Plateau State capital. He could be reached via [email protected] [email protected] or [email protected] 08073534949
