Following the resurgence of activities of Fulani marauders in Guma Local Government Area, the state Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has ordered the suspension of delegates primary election for the Guma 1 State Constituency which was slated for Saturday, 6th January 2024 citing security concerns in the area.
The governor who addressed a press conference at the Old Banquet Hall of Government House, Makurdi which had all the state security chiefs in attendance on Saturday said, the security of the state was more important.
“For a local government area that is already volatile, continuation of the exercise could trigger more violence in the local government area and across the state. The security of the state remains paramount to all of us”
The All Progressive Congress, APC, was to conduct delegate primaries for the Guma 1 constituency by- election on Saturday but the exercise was marred by misconduct.
The resulting acrimony was deemed capable of threatening security in the local government area.
Gov. Alia said, “In the last six months, the state experienced relative peace and efforts are being intensified to draft security agencies to maintain the peace. “I wouldn’t want all the efforts we have put in place to be in vain. I wouldn’t want anything that would trigger insecurity at any corner, not just in Guma Local Government but the entire state”
The Governor pointed out, “This is why it has become very important that I suspend the delegate primaries that are expected to take place in Guma Local Government today”
He regretted that the party faithful who came out to make their choice were stopped at the gate of the Avine Agbum Hotel in Daudu by some politicians who were not from the local government but came only to hijack the process.
According to the governor, “Since people get quite emotional and sensitive over issues of politics, the development has made the youth of the area emotional with tensions rising in the area. And as such, it has become important as the chief security of the state, to order the suspension of the exercise”
He said Guma Local Government, where the election was supposed to take place, was the most vulnerable area in terms of insecurity. And as such, if the government does not step in immediately, the rising tensions will metamorphose into a serious security challenge.
He reiterated the desire of his administration to maintain absolute peace in the state with the return of the IDPs to their ancestral homes still a matter of necessity.
Governor Alia charged the security apparatchik in the state to ensure that there was peace and harmony in Guma Local Government and the state as a whole, stating that he trusts the National Working Committee of the party to ensure that the right thing was done as the LGC was too fragile for anything less than peace.
