The Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has banned all forms of political gatherings in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across the state.
SEMA’s Executive Secretary, Emmanuel Shior, said in a statement made available to Daily Trust yesterday in Makurdi that the decision followed the political rally held by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in one of the camps at Daudu Friday, October, 26, 2018.
Shior said the ban became necessary in order to avoid further public embarrassment on the IDPs and to stop disgruntled politicians from using the misfortunes of people for cheap political capital.
“It is exactly one week ago, when leaders of APC in Benue State, stormed Daudu to formally receive a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Dr. Steven Tsav from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into its fold. Although the event has come and gone, it has left many issues that deserve very strong caution and portray some of our leaders in very bad light.
“This action by the APC and all its leaders is barbaric, unthinkable and a mockery of our IDPs. This should be the last of its kind by not only the APC but any other political party that may be willing to use any of the IDPs camps for campaigns or decamping ceremonies,” Shior stated.
In his reaction, the APC’s state Publicity Secretary, James Ornguga, said the party’s ceremony was never held at the camp but rather took place in an open field that was close to the camp after crowd overwhelmed the initial residential venue for the rally.
“APC didn’t hold rally in any IDPs camp. The event was actually scheduled to hold at the defectors’ leader’s residence (Tsav house) but when Senator George Akume and other APC’s big wigs arrived, the crowd grew much beyond the capacity of the venue so we shifted to the field close to the camp.
“I urge Shior, the SEMA secretary not to loose focus of his job. He should rather concentrate on making life better for the IDPs rather than joining issues of political interest. However APC is very comfortable with that his decision,” Ornguga maintained.
