The Ukum Young Elites have demanded unreserved apologies from Senator Gabriel Suswam for describing their people as “foolish”.
The group, a coalition of sons and daughters of Ukum across party lines, have equally accused the former Governor of making utterances that demean their people and mock them in public glare.
In a statement jointly signed by Abraham Waroh (Ngenev), Prince Tyodoo Livinus (Ngenev), Pila Daniel (Torov), Comrade Jacob Katyona (Torov), Hon. Shagba Orbeenga (Ucha), Hon. Joseph O. Orverga (Mbaterem), Udeti Aondolumun Ernest (Ucha), and Comrade Yoosu Soonen (Ngenev), the group condemned the viral video featuring Senator Suswam’s remarks. They described his comments as uncharitable, unprovoked, and deeply disrespectful to the entire Sankera region and its traditional institutions, which were duly represented at the occasion by the Ter Sankera and other respected traditional rulers.
According to the joint signed statement, they said, “We view Senator Suswam’s descriptions and utterances as mockery, demeaning, and the highest level of insult to the Ukum people, whose ancestral lands have been taken over by herdsmen and bandits who have continuously raped, maimed, and killed our relatives. We have not yet recovered from grieving our losses.
“It is disheartening that Suswam, who is the highest beneficiary of Ukum’s benevolence, in turn, calls us fools and embarks on a mission to mock and dance on the graves of our relatives murdered in cold blood, failures attributable to the government’s inability to fulfill its primary responsibility of protecting life and property, a duty the governor swore an oath to uphold.
“Before Suswam, who is our maternal relative, forgets, let us remind him that in 1999, while he lost delegate votes in Katsina-Ala and Logo in his bid to secure a House of Representatives ticket in PDP primaries, Ukum gave him block delegate votes that earned him the ticket. In the 2003 general election, Suswam also lost Katsina-Ala and Logo to the late Mahmud Iyornder Akiga, who was announced as the winner of the 2003 House of Representatives election for Sankera federal constituency on Radio Nigeria Kaduna. However, Ukum came to the rescue with some “magic votes” to ensure his victory. Also in 2015, when Suswam lost his senatorial bid as an outgoing governor, he won Ukum. Perhaps, Suswam now sees us as fools because we have always stood for him, even when the Ukum sons are involved in most contests. We have learned our lessons, nonetheless.
“It is equally worrisome that Senator Suswam, who is ostensibly the highest stakeholder in Sankera by virtue of his privileged positions, has never condemned the herdsmen killings in Sankera, nor sympathised with the people’s suffering, nor visited the scenes of attacks to assess the level of destruction. Instead, he was quick to rush to Sankera to rain insults on Ukum for staging a peaceful protest against his friend, Governor Alia, for failing to protect them.
“Now, it appears Suswam wasn’t in Ukum to condole the people over the loss of their relatives to Fulani herdsmen. Instead, he was in the area to register his anger against Ukum for protesting against his friend.
“How did we offend Senator Suswam? It is on record that we woke up one day to discover Fulani militias with sophisticated arms and ammunition arriving in Chito on motorcycles. We raised an alarm and drew the attention of the relevant authorities, but to no avail. No action was taken based on security reports, viral videos, or pictures until the attack occurred, claiming over 200 lives. The governor, who is the chief security officer of the state, instead travelled to Plateau State to mourn with his colleague over herdsmen killings there.
“After the attack, the governor appeared on national TV claiming that only five people were killed initially, then later said 27 when he visited Sankera, and eventually increased the casualty figure to 76. These conflicting figures angered the youths in Ukum, who knew the true casualty number.
“The grievances expressed by youths during Governor Alia’s visit may have been influenced by the governor’s apparent lackadaisical attitude before the attack. Instead of Suswam calling on his friend to look inward, swallow his pride, and apologise to Ukum for the monumental failure to protect them, he chose instead to insult our sensibilities and demand that we apologise to the governor who has abandoned us. What a man!”
They accused Senator Suswam of romancing with the Fulanis, therefore refusing to condemn the persistent attacks on Ukum.
“Apparently, Suswam, who has never condemned Fulani attacks on our people, was more offended by Ukum than by the Fulani herdsmen who are killing us. We have yet to see any outrage from him directed at the Fulani herdsmen.
“Could it be because of his ongoing romance with the Fulanis, his persistent aspiration for a Fulani-led presidency and his frequent hobnobbing with Fulani oligarchs and masterminds of the Fulani agenda?
“According to Senator Suswam, Ukum people are in need of money to pay for security, and therefore they should be begging Governor Alia and be grateful for funding their security.
“One wonders how, since Suswam left the government house, he has already forgotten that security votes are allocated by the federal government. No one owes Governor Alia any special thanks for judiciously using the security vote. This is a basic understanding we expect from a former governor and lawyer.
“In conclusion, while we demand an immediate, unreserved apology from Sen. Suswam, we state the following:
“Ukum people are not fools, as insinuated by former Governor Senator Gabriel Torwua Suswam.
“Our benevolence and generosity towards Suswam over the years stem from his maternal relationship with the Ukum people, and Ukum’s hospitality should not be misconstrued as foolishness. Since Suswam appears indifferent to our plight and feelings, it is not his place to dictate how we grieve our losses.
“We cannot prevent Senator Suswam from befriending any government in power, as that has become characteristic of him. However, we implore him not to use our misfortunes for political relevance”.
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