By EZEKIEL OBI, Abuja-
Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Jime, the Gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue state in the 2019 election has urged the people of Benue South Senatorial District (Zone C) to keep up their fight to produce the Benue state Governor in 2023.
He said they should neither be discouraged by any setbacks experienced in the course of the struggle nor be intimidated by the hurdles ahead.
Rt. Hon. Jime, a former two-term member of the House of Representatives (Makurdi/Guma) gave the charge at his Abuja residence during an advocacy visit by a team of Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM), led by Avm Monday Morgan (rtd), National Coordinator.
BRM is the umbrella organization leading the aspiration of zone C to produce the Benue state governor for the first time since the creation of the state 45 years ago.
The former Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, who promised his continued support for Zone C’s Governorship aspiration, emphasized the need for unity of purpose for the objective to be realized.
He regretted that he was yet to see the required unity within zone C, citing as an example the recent case of the zoning of the APC state Chairmanship position to Zone C.
He said he had expected Zone C to insist on taking that position elsewhere considering the nature of politics that plays out in the country at the moment. Rather, to his disappointment, some people in zone C went ahead to even solicit for the position.
The APC chieftain, however, maintained that any form of zoning that does not give the Governorship slot to zone C in 2023 amounts to no zoning. He said the use of the five Tiv ruling houses as the component units for the purpose of rotating the office of the state Governor does not make sense to him.
He argued that since the Tiv have been leading the fight for justice, equity and fairness at the Federal level, they should also apply the same principle at state level by incorporating Zone C in the zoning and rotation of the state Governorship.
While commending BRM for the work it has been able to do so far, Rt. Hon. Jime, urged the organization and the entire people of Zone C not to waiver in the struggle.
“My understanding is that the battle for justice and equity sometimes is one that must be accompanied by tears, sweat and sacrifice,” he pointed out. He urged zone C to continue to build bridges of friendship across the state and beyond as they would find such relationships useful, if not immediately, but in future”, he said.
Earlier in his speech, Avm Monday Morgan (rtd), National Coordinator of BRM, congratulated Rt. Hon. Jime on his recent appointment as the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council and solicited his support for zone C’s aspiration for the state Governorship in 2023. The National Coordinator recalled BRM’S earlier visit on the same mission which was very fruitful and expressed hope that BRM would continue to count on him.
Paul Harris Ogbole (SAN) and other members of delegation who spoke described Jime as a brother and friend of Zone C who has blended seamlessly and identified with Zone C people and their causes. They prayed God to also grant him his wishes to achieve his own aspirations.
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