Arewa leader, Alhaji Musa Saidu, has urged politicians in Benue State to put their differences aside for the common good.
He recently shared that uniting to ward off the violence in Benue will restore peace to the state.
Speaking to the Vanguard on the phone, Alhaji Musa revealed that the political class has been largely responsible for the crisis in Benue State.
He stated that President Tinubu inherited the ugly situation in the region, and he has been working tirelessly with security operatives to bring the killings to an end.
According to him, he can only urge opposition politicians to work with the ruling government in the state to address the problem because anyone using the crisis to fight the APC
He further blasted politicians who keep blaming security agencies amid the crisis, stressing that the crisis in several Nigerian states is actually politically related and created.
“We as leaders and traditional rulers sometimes we are activist. I have been fighting for freedom all my life. This Benue state’s issue is not a new thing.I participated in resolving crisis in Rivers state and some other parts of the country. From experience I can say some of these crisis are political. The Benue issue may not be an exception. Crisis happened in Rivers under Dr Peter Odili as governor and rival politicians, it spread to other parts of the Niger Delta region.
I wrote a memo to Odili’s government over the crisis in Okrika then. The records are there. I wrote the memo then as head of Nigeria youth federation and we even met with the governor. We were led by late Chief Harold Dappa Biriye. Governor Odili was just 15 days in office then. The governor even ordered that I should be given police protection but I declined as a youth president.
All the crisis in states are politically related,.created. The politicians are using crisis to fight the ruling government. We saw it in Rivers.
Rival politicians are those creating crisis everywhere. The.coalition we are seeing now is all about creating crisis but we can’t be deceived . Nigerians are wiser.
There is no alternative to Tinubu.
Instead of politicians to look for solutions they will be blaming security agencies. Lets start from Boko Haram . Boko Haram started as a movement, a Commissioner was even appointed from them. See how it has spread today. Come to Zamfara, Katsina , Sokoto it is the same politically instigated crisis. We hear everyday that somebody close to an insurgent leader was killed but the main person is never arrested.. All we hear is that somebody close to him is killed. The problem is political , they should look at the political angle .
There is no alternative to Tinubu .as I said earlier. The president is doing his best same with the security agencies and the National Security Adviser, NSA. The politicians should put their house in order to stop the crisis,” he said.
Addressing Peter Obi for criticizing President Tinubu amid the violence, Alhaji Musa noted that the Labour Party man never uttered a word to condemn the killing of Northerners in Obigbo in Rivers state.
He concluded by warning Obi not to allow Northern politicians to deceive him ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Mr Peter Obi condemning the president over Benue, this same obi did not condemn killing of northerners in Obigbo in Rivers state, Aba, Owerri. He should say something about those killed in port Harcourt during EndSars Protest. He should stop accusing the president because he wants power . He should not be a hypocrite. I am not speaking for Mr President but I am expressing my candid opinion.
Obi is from South East ,.he saw what happened in Port Harcourt against northerners, how members of Indigenous People of Biafra ,IPOB massacred northerners, he kept quiet.
He should be careful of those northern politicians deceiving him.
I am a son of a combatant soldier not one who came to sell meat or yam in the south.. My father fought for the unity of this country and that is what I am also doing. Ibos are not marginalized. IPOB should stop attack on northerners ,.nobody is marginalizing the Ibos.
I respect people like the former Minister of Aviation KemaChikwe, former president of the Senate Ken Nnamani. Chikwe gave one million naira to northerners in Aba when the northern community was attacked there.. She was Minister of then. We want people to be truthful on issues in the country and not to politicise them. These are easterners that are truthful on issues,” he added.
