— Begs Jonathan, Mu’azu to save the state from Fulani/Tiv Clash
Benue state Governor, Gabriel Suswam, yesterday revealed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was almost dead under the leadership of the former chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
He also appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan and the party National Chairman, Dr. Ahmed Adamu Mu’azu to intervene in the fight between the fulani herds men and Tiv farmers, lamenting that the fight is getting out of control.
Suswam spoke when he led a delegation of the state chapter of PDP members to pay a solidarity visit to the party National Chairman and members of the party National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.
Suswan said: “We are a state that belong to a political party. Let me mention that challenges that we have in the last two years some altercations between fulani’s and the farmers. It is not restricted to the farmers alone. It is something that affects virtually all the Benue farmers.
“We have tried to contain the situation and attend to it. It is gradually degenerating to a level that is almost say is getting out of control, with the recent overunning of the Tor Tiv (Dr Alfred Torkula) country home by the militia. I believe as leader of our party you will not be happy seeing a PDP controlled state that is in such a crisis. So I want to use this medium to appeal to you to intervene so that the federal government will be able to come to our aide so that we don’t allow the situation where we are fighting among ourselves for reasons that are not very clear to anybody.
“So I want to mention this to you so that you can mention it to the president and to the other people that matter to us in this country so that we can put this behind us once and for all and concentrate on developmental issues which are key if we must sustain democracy in our country.”
On his part, Mu’azu assured party members of level playing field, adding that the doors of the party remain open to all members, including defected members.
He however said that he would convince the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. George Akume, who they both served as governors between 1999 to 2007 to return to the PDP.
