That, Kwande APC stakeholders appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari’s laudable infrastructural development, anticorruption crusade and appointment of Benue sons and daughters into various key positions in his government.

 

Few of these developmental strides that have direct bearings on the people of Benue state include: the dualization of Abuja-Akwanga-Keffi-Lafia-Makurdi road, renovation of Makurdi-Yandev-Ugbema and Gboko- Ihugh roads, the construction of Kornya-TseAgberagba road, Makurdi-Naka-Kogi road and the completion and commissioning of Iweto Bridge.

 

Others include, his gracious permission to immortalise Benue political icon, Chief J. S. Tarka, by renaming the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi after him and installation of solar electricity in the University among others things.

 

The APC stakeholders also express their unflinching and unreserved support and allegiance to the APC leader in the North Central Nigeria, Senator George Akume, for sustaining APC in Benue State in spite of being an opposition Party. We are also grateful to our leader for facilitating the appointment of Benue sons and daughters into key positions in the country. The APC stakeholders also appreciate the Honourable Minister, Senator George Akume, for securing such appointments and projects and prayed to Almighty God to oil his pen as he requests and secures more of such appointments and projects to Benue State.

 

The meeting traced the imbroglio surrounding the rumoured establishment and alleged movement of a Federal Polytechnic from Adikpo to Wanune and came up with the following findings:

 

1.​That, a bill for the establishment of Federal Polytechnic at Adikpo was initiated by the former Senator, Engr. B.A.I. Gamade, who represented Zone A in the Senate during the 2011-2019 legislative years. Though the bill enjoyed the third reading at the floor of the Senate Chamber, it was however not presented at the House of Representatives for concurrence until the period of Senator B. A.I. Gamade elapsed at the Senate as a result it failed to secure a presidential assent.

 

2.​That, the current Senator, representing Zone A at the Senate, Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam, who took over from Senator B. A.I. Gamade, ought to have represented the bill at the Senate which would have given rise to the approval of the Polytechnic to take off similar to what Senator Aba Moro did to rekindle the bill initiated by his predecessor, Senator David Mark, which secured the establishment of the Federal University of Health Sciences in Otukpo. However, for reasons best known to him, Senator Gabriel Torwua Suswam failed do so. Rather than pursue the bill for the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic at Adikpo to its logical conclusion, Senator Gabriel Torwua Suswam instead wrote a letter to the Ministry of Education, which was also signed by Hon. Bob Tyough, Member House of Representatives for Kwande/Ushongo and Hon. Dr Richard Gbande, Member of House of Representatives for Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo, that their constituents do not need a Polytechnic but a Federal College of Education (refers to appendix ‘A’ for details).

 

3.​The committee viewed Senator Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam’s negligence towards the fruition of the bill initiated by B.A.I. Gamade for creation of a Polytechnic in Zone A and with the letter he wrote to Federal Ministry requesting for the creation of a Federal College of Education in his senatorial district, as a deliberate intent and calculated attempts aimed at sabotaging B.A.I. Gamade’s good efforts in order to protect Ashi Polytechnic which he has established in his village at Anyiin.

 

4.​That apart, the Polytechnic at Adikpo was just an idea which was initiated by B. A.I. Gemade in which the present PDP members representing Zone A at the National Assembly, Senator Dr Gabriel Suswam and Robert Tyough, have failed to actualised. Therefore, the rumour that, a Federal Polytechnic was at Adikpo and that the Honourable Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs and Leader of APC North Central Nigeria, Senator George Akume, has moved it to Wanune is a naïve concept concocted by these PDP representatives and their agents to cover up their glaring legislative ineptitudes.

 

Meanwhile, they failed to ascertain the fact that, the Honourable Minister, His Excellence George Akume, had obtained a Presidential fiat for the establishment of a Federal Polytechnic at Wanune and not relocation of Federal Polytechnic from Adikpo to Wanune (refers to appendix ‘B’ for details).

 

In view of the above, the Kwande APC stakeholders exonerate the Honourable Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs and the Leader of APC North Central Nigeria, Senator George Akume, from the mischief going round the social media that he had removed a Federal Polytechnic from Adikpo to Wanune. From all available facts, this is a calculated attempt by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue state to smear the good name of the Honourable Minister for political reasons best known to them.

 

The meeting is disgusted with the colossal failure, negligence and mischief of Honourable Senator Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswan and the Honourable Member House of Representatives, Robert Tyough. Instead of being remorseful and ashamed of their negligence of legislative duties that have led to their failure to secure a bill for the establishment of a Federal Polytechnic at Adikpo, they have turned to deceit and to co-opt members of PDP in Benue State to spread falsehoods for whatever political gains they hope to achieve.

 

The APC stakeholders note with dismay that the spread of fake and distorted information about the establishment of a Federal Polytechnic at Adikpo is a political gimmick designed by PDP in Benue State to cause disunity among the good people of Kwande who are preparing themselves to lead the State come 2023.

 

The APC stakeholders therefore urge President Muhammadu Buhari, the leader of APC North Central Nigeria, Senator Dr George Akume, and APC party faithful in Zone A, Benue and the entire country not to listen to the malicious lies in circulation in Benue State sponsored by the failed PDP emissaries at the Senate and House of Representatives.

 

The Kwande APC stakeholders and entire members of the party in Kwande are solidly behind the good leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari and the leader of APC in Benue, Senator George Akume, for their sterling leadership qualities and urged them to be steadfast in bringing more development in Benue and Kwande. The stakeholders also called on the good people of Kwande to disregard any such rumour aimed at causing disunity amongst them.

 

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Long live Benue State

Long live Zone A

Long live the people of Kwande

Long live APC