Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports.
Senator Abba Moro represents the Benue South Senatorial District in the Ninth Senate. In this interview, he discusses, among other things, insecurity in his constituency, the never-ending killings and banditry in the North, and dissent within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over the openness of the presidential ticket.
Armed herdsmen recently attacked some communities in your Okpokwu Local Government Area. How serious is Benue State’s homicide problem?
It’s a serious situation. We were recently attacked, as was the Igama community in Okpokwu LGA. Several people were killed and several communities in Orokam, Ogbadibo LGA, were attacked. In Orokam, two people were killed, one of whom was a Councillor-elect. It breaks my heart.
These attacks took place in various parts of the Benue South District, most notably in the LGAs of Agatu and Apa. The same can be said for the Edumoga community in Omusu, where 22 people were recently killed. As a result, it is a very sad development, and it is an endemic and widespread problem in Benue State, particularly in the Benue South district. It’s tragic and serious, and we’re all concerned about it.
I, like other concerned community leaders and the Benue State Government, have been deeply concerned about the killings, and we are working hard to ensure that history does not repeat itself.
I’ve been encouraging security agencies to be more proactive rather than reactive, because in the past, when attacks occur, security agencies rush to the scene to calm the situation, and it all recurs. I agree that our security forces are stretched thin and lack the numbers and sophistication to deal with the problem as it is, but I can assure you that everything is being done to put a stop to these killings.
I think that way we will together join hands to develop the state. I believe that it will happen; and like I said it is my responsibility and the responsibility of my colleagues in the National Assembly and even in the Benue State House of Assembly to ensure that we provide the legislative intervention that will make it possible for the governorship of the states to effectively rotate among the senatorial districts.
After the recently held presidential primary election of your party the PDP, there have been dissenting voices in the party over the North clinching the presidential ticket. Why did your party opt for a northern presidential candidate?
My answer as to why the PDP decided to cede its presidential ticket to the North is simple. I can only say this, that the Nigerian situation is very dire and the PDP is in the opposition at the moment especially at the centre. And so in the wisdom of the leaders of the PDP, the Nigerian problems appear to be defiling solutions. And it is in that wisdom that the leadership of the party decided that for this time, in order to be able to wrest power from the ruling APC government that the PDP should put its best leg forward.When it comes to insecurity, it is common knowledge that the North is besieged. Why has the North been dealing with banditry and kidnappings for so long?
Banditry, as you correctly noted, has been and continues to be a problem in the North. However, criminality and crime are a global problem, and this is true in Nigeria and many other parts of the country aside from the north.
To be honest, I am very sad that it continues because the theoretical postulations that have been advanced as the causes of crime and criminality in Nigeria are the facts of bad governance. Extreme poverty has made it impossible or very difficult for Nigerians to live their lives as they wish.
So, I believe that is what is to blame. People who believe they lack access to basic necessities resort to crime and criminality. But it is not only in Nigeria that people lack access to means of subsistence.
I believe that sufficient intelligence must be gathered to determine who is to blame for what is happening in Nigeria. However, the general consensus among Nigerians and the international community is that the government is not doing enough to provide for its citizens, which is why some of them resort to crime.
The issue of kidnappings and attacks on the Eke-Ugbokolo-Owukpa road in your district has recently taken a worrying turn. What do you think can be done to combat the threat?
Certainly, something can be done to address the issue of insecurity along that axis, but it is well known that certain communities throughout the world are more vulnerable to crime and criminality. And, according to what has been gathered from the axis that you are discussing, the masterminds are sometimes not necessarily members of those communities, but people from elsewhere who come to commit those crimes and then vanish into thin air.
Attempts are being made to prevent this from happening again. As a result, in addition to increasing police presence in those areas, personnel from the Nigerian Army have been drafted to the area. As I speak to you, a detachment of soldiers is stationed in Okpoga, the headquarters of Okpokwu LGA. Their presence and activities have actually resulted in a significant decrease in those crimes. They have recently reared their heads, but I can assure you that people will be aware that the soldiers are rising to the occasion; and hopefully, the activities of these criminals will be drastically reduced.
Why are you so passionate about office zoning? You’ve been a leading voice in the country’s call for office zoning.
As a senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, I face the enormous challenge of providing legislative intervention to ensure that the zoning enshrined in the PDP constitution is respected.
I have a huge challenge and responsibility to also provide legislative intervention that will allow for the entrenchment of effective rotation in the governance process, such that the governorship will rotate among the senatorial districts, and to be honest, I am a big fan of rotating the presidency between the South and the North. This will restore some sanity and stability to our political process, as well as some unity in Nigeria.
If you know as a Nigerian, as a Benue State resident, that one day you will be able to lead your community, you will have a strong sense of belonging, which is exactly what the people of Benue South Senatorial District have been asking for. Yes, it is not yet Uhuru, but all hope is not lost because as long as we human beings continue to contribute to the political process, I believe that one day the majority of Benue people, including the Tiv people, will recognize that the time has come for us in the Benue South Senatorial District to be supported to become the state’s governor.
And putting the best leg forward therefore would mean the permutation that the best leg may not necessarily be in any particular zone. And therefore it became necessary to throw open the ticket of the party to the entirety of Nigeria, so that Nigerians can pick the best for the country at the moment. That is what has happened. And interestingly Nigerians in the PDP picked Atiku from the North to stand election for the party. I believe that at the end of the day it will pay off for Nigeria and the result will be obvious. That is what PDP has done, and we believe that it will serve the purpose of Nigeria and good governance.
You’ll recall that in 2015 we had this strange political alliances where several PDP members in North supported Muhammadu Buhari of the APC because he is from that part of the country; do you see a repeat of such in 2023 where APC members would rally support for Atiku Abubakar because he is from that part of the country irrespective of party affiliation?
It is a possibility; what is normal in politics and political life and process is change. I believe that times are changing and things also are changing and human beings change their attitudes by the day. And so I will not be surprised if APC members support the PDP and its presidential candidate and even the gubernatorial and senatorial candidates down to other candidates in the various elections. It is possible that if members of the party feel disaffected by the processes they may decide to support candidates rather than political parties. So it is a possibility.
What is your take on the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the APC?
Let me say this, the Muslim-Muslim ticket is not a fantastic idea. It is not an abnormal idea so to say. We have had a history of a Muslim-Muslim ticket in Nigeria in the past. We have had Abiola and Kingibe who were both Muslims and Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for them. But what is a little unacceptable in our present circumstances in Nigeria is that Nigeria is very polarized. Nigeria has never been as polarized as it is today in the history of this country. And we are polarized along political and religious lines and the rest of them. And people are very concerned about the dominance of one particular religion over others.
So that is the concern that Nigerians have now. I think that the conclusion of Nigerians is that the APC and its candidate have been very insensitive to the sensibility of Nigerians in the present circumstances that we have serious religious cleavages and lines; and picking a Muslim-Muslim ticket at this time, is honestly in the estimation of majority of Nigerians unacceptable. And so I think it is not the correct thing to do at this moment in time.
Against the expectations of the ruling APC your party the PDP emerged victorious in the last Osun state governorship election, how did your party pull it off?
Like I said Nigerians are yearning for change, the APC Government has performed very abysmally and Nigerians are very concerned about the deteriorating lives of the Nigerian people.
So they are looking for the best that can salvage the situation, that can rescue the situation which PDP represents at this moment and that is the reason why Osun People in their wisdom, in their majority, have chosen the candidate of the PDP as their governor.
We are very happy for it and it is a signal to what to expect. We must listen to Nigerians, we must listen to the people and pick the best candidate for our elections which PDP has demonstrated. You see all manner of crises all over the place especially in the APC because of the skewed manner in which they have chosen their candidates and Nigerians are not happy for it. And so if you pick the best candidates you’ll get the best results which Osun has demonstrated. We picked the best candidate and the best candidate won the election.
