Since the declaration and swearing-in of Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State for a second four-year-term, he has been faced with many problems, particularly from the opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). In this interview with the United States Bureau Chief of LEADERSHIP, ABIODUN OLUWAROTIMI, he addresses most of the issues, including his developmental blueprint for the state, among others.
Is it true that you are having problems with ALGON and your party?
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I am confirming that I do not have any trouble with the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and ALGON. There was nothing like a feud between my government and the party both at the State and National levels as reported. The newspaper report that alleged that my administration is having a serious crisis with the stakeholders of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Benue State was fake. It was the idea of enemies of distraction. The report about my alleged troubles with both my party and the ALGON was the figment of the writer’s imagination. I am only extending a hand of fellowship to the opposition parties so that they can as well benefit from my administration. I am the Governor of the State and I have to care for the welfare of everybody in Benue State regardless of their political differences. I have to be tolerant no matter what anybody says or does. I want to run an all-inclusive government so that all the people of Benue will enjoy the dividends of democracy and welfare packages that I promised them during my campaigns. My benevolence to the good people and the oppositions in the State had not caused any rift between me and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the ALGON as rumoured
What of the news that you recently suspended the Chairman of Buruku traditional council alongside other traditional rulers in the region over an alleged romance with the opposition?
That is not true. I did not suspend any traditional ruler. There is no truth in the allegation that my administration suspended the chairman of Buruku traditional council, Chief Afaityo Ajoko, the Ter Buruku alongside other traditional rulers in the state. My administration has never suspended any traditional ruler over any alleged romance with the opposition party. I have read in a story published by World Link Magazine on August 20, 2011 where the chairman of Buruku traditional council, Chief Afaityo Ajoko clearly refuted the media report that he was suspended alongside other traditional rulers by my government for involving themselves in political issues. In the report, Ter Buruku? condemned the media report and said that he was not happy when he read in the Magazine that he and other traditional rulers were suspended and put under serious threat by me. I want to state it clearly now that my government has never put any of the traditional rulers under any threat. The reports are fake. These are rumours carried out to cause disunity that can damage the good relationship that the traditional rulers enjoy with my administration.
What of the allegation of money laundering made against your person?
The allegation is far from the truth. There was no time I withdrew illegal funds from any bank. I also did not launder any money or use any foreign mission to launder money and I want to clearly state that the name of the petitioner never existed. I challenge him to be more specific by mentioning the name of the foreign mission that was alleged to have helped me launder the money. How can you launder money through a Nigerian Mission. Let the fake petitioner come out with more evidence. The name on the petition does not exist and it is obviously the work of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) party in the State in order to rubbish my government befor the electorate well meaning Benue people. To be honest with everybody, I have never laundered any money since I became governor in 2007 and|I will never do so because the interest, growth and development of the good people of Benue State is my priority. I also want to say that my son does not preside over any illegal company in the country. I blame the members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)? in Benue State for the allegation because it was a plan by them to distract me with a campaign they embarked upon out of depression.
What do you suggest that the EFCC should do to curb fake petitions and allegations against public functionaries?
I think the EFCC should do something fast as a way of preventing embittered people from maligning public functionaries through fake petitions. The security and anti-graft agencies in Nigeria should evolve a system that will allow for the apprehension of fake whistle blowers at the end of investigations.
These people writing fake petitions against public officials will not have the guts to do so again immediately they have it in their minds that they will be the first to be arrested by the EFCC, ICPC and others the moment it is discovered that their claims are spurious.
You will see that the rate at which some enemies of progress send fictitious petitions to the EFCC, the ICPC or other anti-graft Commissions in Nigeria will reduce if there is a rule that sanctions them.
The allegation of the murder of one Mr. Charles Ayede, the former media aide to your opponent in the ACN is still on the lips of members of the party. Can we have your reaction on this?
?It is rather fortunate for someone in the calibre of Mr. Steve Ugba, the ACN governorship candidate who has sojourned in the United States for over 37 years to be making such spurious and baseless allegation against me. It is a very reckless and irresponsible statement coming from him that I was victimising him or trying to kill him. It is also a lie, his allegation that I masterminded the killing of his media aide that was killed in an attack that the police even confirmed to be an armed robbery case. Ugba would have accepted his defeat in a good fate and like a good sportsman rather than making such a serious allegation against me. It has already come to light that he was not even on the road on the fateful day that armed robbers also attacked two different locations in the state and in two other states other than Benue. Will you now say that it was the governors of those raided States that masterminded the evil acts? I do not have any killer squad and neither do I believe in do-or-die politics. What motivation would I have to kill the victim of the armed robbery attack who did not even contest election with me? I did not even know that the deceased was at the party. I have won my election already so why would I have to kill? I am sure that the ACN governorship candidate is being sponsored by a faceless group that had determined to win elections in Benue State by any means conceivable. Mr. Ugba is only just voicing statements that are not his and that is very unfortunate because people know me and they have never accused me of rigging or being intolerant of the opposition. I have been in the National Assembly for two terms, I have ruled the State as governor for four years and this is my fourth election in the state, so I am not surprised that this happened because those that sponsored him are intolerant and they want to win elections in the State by all means, but the people said NO.
But Mr. Steve Ugba is insisting that your government is victimising him?
It is all lies. I have not persecuted or victimised the ACN governorship candidate. What I did was that I invited the police to make him substantiate the serious allegation of killing and attempted murder which he made against my administration. That is not? persecution or victimisation at all. When you make a reckless allegation or statement against someone, then you will need to substantiate your claims and that was exactly what I did and now he is accusing me of persecution.
I have never and will never use any power to intimidate anybody. I will never use my executive power to cause destruction as it was earlier experienced before I became governor of Benue State. Rather, I will continue to entrench peace, security and development in the entire State and the opposition will also enjoy it since that is what I promised everybody during my campaigns.
During the last convention of the Mutual Union of the Tiv in America (MUTA), there was this allegation of stolen mandate in Benue State. What is your reaction on this?
There was never a time that any mandate was stolen in Benue State. When people feel so bitter that they will not accept defeat in an election, that, I find to be very unfortunate.On what basis are they saying that a mandate was stolen? Let’s look at the elections conducted in Benue, starting from the National Assembly. We have eleven House of Representatives seats and PDP had eight while the opposition parties, put together, shared the remaining three. And out of the three Senatorial seats, PDP had two and the opposition had only one. Now, out of the twenty eight House of Assembly seats, in the elections so far conducted, PDP won twenty and the opposition took eight. During the presidential election, PDP garnered six hundred and ninety seven thousand votes while ACN had just two hundred and twenty three, and then, I won my election convincingly.
Therefore, anybody saying that there is a stolen mandate in the State is just being sadistic. There is a pattern and PDP overwhelmingly won the oppositions in Benue in all elections. These people do not want to accept defeat hence they are going round alleging stolen mandate which to me, is ‘nonsensical’ and should be disregarded. If for any reason there should be cry of a stolen mandate, it should be the Senatorial seat that the PDP won but which was stolen by the ACN. They have said many bad things against me, I mean these so-called leaders but I have my ways of respecting them. I do not need to say anything bad,? harsh or insultive against them. Elections have come and gone, they have been won and lost, and I remain the democratically elected Governor of Benue State because my people want me and they voted me in as a result of all the verifiable developmental projects I embarked upon and completed during my first term in office, which I hope to continue and complete so as not to lose focus. For these reasons, I do not consider it expedient to join issues with whoever is antagonising my government. The people of Benue State decided to have me back for a second term in office based on the trust they have in my leadership. They know that I will target the areas of poverty alleviation through agriculture our main stay among other developmental projects in the next four years.
?You were there at the event where the Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher disagreed with the so-called leaders and said that there was nothing like a stolen mandate in Benue State. Ambassador Hagher and many others also made it known at the convention that I legitimately won the last governorship election in the State as declared by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) and I want to make it known today that the last elections in Benue State reflected the will of the people. It was clear that the little support that Mr. Ugbah got from the electorates was not enough to defeat me in the election.
The opposition party in Benue state is not quiet over the election case in the court, can we have your take on this?
The case is in the court and I would not like to comment on it, but let me state that I find the unfolding scenario like a fictional drama piece with the so-called leaders in court. I do not know why they are inciting people against my government. If you lose an election then there should be no need inciting people that if it is not you, no other person should rule. We have gone beyond that in Benue where an individual or few people will look at themselves as cabals. the people of Benue have taken the destiny of the state into their hands and they will freely decide who they want to rule them. I have been elected before this time as governor and I managed the resources and affairs of Benue well and I think that was the reason the people voted me for a second term in office and I will continue to bring development into the state. Benue state has gone beyond a group of people dictating her future and destiny.
What can you say about the marginalisation of the Tiv people as alleged against Senator David Mark by Senator Waku in a recent interview?
Well, I do not understand what they meant by ‘the marginalisation of the Tiv people’, but my views on that will be a little different in the sense that Senator Mark is a Senator from Benue but equally we have Senator Gemade who is a Tiv man and of course in the opposition we have Senator Akume who is also a Tiv man. Being a Senate President is not something you are voted for from your constituency. It is an addition which only makes you first among equals. We also have very prominent sons in different positions. We have a couple of appointments like the DG of NAFDAC, the MD of a major bank and there are other similar appointments, so, I do not see that as marginalisation. Any person who is fortunate to be given the right to nominate people for a position will nominate those they will be comfortable with. I will not reason that we are marginalised just because we now have a Minister of State. We have held these positions several times, so I will not agree with the allegation of any marginalisation now. We have always had Ministers.
How have you been coping with the accusation and provocation from the opposition leaders?
You know, it is unfortunate for so-called leaders to use offensive languages. That was one of the reasons why Benue was unable to develop in the past. These are leaders who can not control and are not mindful of what they say. I do not think I should join issues with such characters. As the present political head of the State, I want the state to be in peace but these are people whose track records have shown as people who love violence? and will do everything possible to fester it. But I have the determination that Benue State will continue to grow in peace and because I respect elders, you will never see me join issues with them, no matter the level of provocation. They have insulted me a lot but I will remain focused with the developments that I have brought to Benue State.I think that I am more matured. As the one presiding over the affairs of the state, I will continue to do things with decorum. All I know is that, there was a gubernatorial election in Benue State and I won. The issue of election malpractices did not arise during the election at all. Now, there is only one government in Benue State and it will remain the only government in Benue State for the next four years at least. The outcome of the Tribunal will reveal the truth since it is clear that I truly defeated the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Party during the election.
There was a report that you recently absconded to Cameroun as a result of your fears for the outcome of the present election case in the Tribunal?
That was not true. I have never been to that country in my life and I am sure that the rumour was the idea of the opposition to distract my government and as well make the electorates lose focus.
How can I run away to Cameroun when I know, and I am convinced that I truly won the last governorship election in Benue State. I urge the general public not to listen to such propaganda from the opposition. “It is not that I do not know my power as a State Governor, but I remain humble, tolerant and focused for the progress of the good people of Benue and I believe that the people of the State will testify to it that they have been enjoying peace and development”.
I do not wish to dwell much on the rumour that I escaped to Cameroun because the record was clear and straight and pointed to the fact that I was on President Goodluck Jonathan’s entourage to New York for the United Nations High-level meeting on HIV.
Sir, the certificate scandal is still very fresh. What is your position?
This is also the handiwork of the opposition to bring my person into disrepute. They want to do everything to bring me down. I have been elected as a member of the House of Representatives twice and I was also voted in as governor for the first time in 2001. Why would I now submit a fake certificate during the time I was contesting to be governor the second time. To me, this whole idea makes no sense. What actually happened was that my aide was attacked by armed robbers and he lost my credentials including the certificates in the process because they took his car at gun point. I decided to apply to? the different institutions where I obtained the certificates from. I applied to the Law School, UNILAG and WAEC. I wrote to the chairman of WAEC that I needed a certified copy of my result after swearing to an affidavit of loss. The Law School and UNILAG sent me certified copies of my certificates. After two months of my application to WAEC, I was sent a result that was not mine and I promptly rejected it. I have authorised WAEC to show my real result to whoever that might wish to see it. I have always found the allegation of certificate forgery laughable. I went to Government College in Makurdi and the result is still intact in the computer of the WAEC. After this, I proceeded to the school of Basic Studies still in Makurdi preparatory to my University education. I went to UNILAG still in Nigeria and after that, I practised up till 1999 when I was elected as member of the House of Representatives. I hold two Masters Degrees; one in Law from the University of Jos and the other in Public Administration from the University of Abuja. I did not say that I schooled in any foreign country. I did everything here in Nigeria and this should make it very easy for whoever wants to confirm the authenticity of all my certificates.
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