BY HON. BAR. JOHN TINE

Friday, 2nd December, 2022, will go down in history as an epoch making date, as the Benue Emancipation Movement (BEM), an acronym of a mass movement project that clones his name, aimed at the realisation of the noble project of Prof Bem Angwe as the next Governor of Benue State in 2023, received huge Benue mass and grassroots endorsements at another venue, this time — the luxurious Royal Choice Hotel in Makurdi, the Benue State Capital where once again, his professional colleagues around the State; friends, supporters, well wishers, labour and student unions as well as sociocultural and political groups across zones A, B and C, at the Dinner Event, not only endorsed the candidature of the NNPP gubernatorial candidate but also selflessly contributed to his Campaign Fund.

It could be recalled that penultimate Saturday, the FCT based senior professional colleagues and associates of Prof Angwe organized a maiden and similar Dinner in Abuja, where his ambition received generous support and bipartisan endorsements.

It could also be recalled that on 8th June, 2022, at the Eunice Resort and Event Centre, Makurdi, Prof Bem Angwe emerged the gubernatorial candidate of the NNPP through a primary democratic process where delegates of his party across the state, affirmed the erudite Professor of Law and former executive secretary of the National Human Rights Commission as their choice in the 2023 elections.

At the event in Makurdi yesterday, the Chairman of the Fundraising Committee, Chief (Barr) Bob A. Echikwonye informed the gathering that, just like their counterparts in Abuja, colleagues and friends of Prof Bem Angwe in Benue were equally moved to support him being one of their own, and having regards to his impeccable credentials, excellent and selfless antecedents, his positive disposition towards human rights, justice and fairness as well as his past records of performance in all the public offices he has held, and therefore the gubernatorial candidate to beat in Benue come 2023.

The Chairman enjoined those present and all Benue people who meant well for the State to support the Rescue Project of Prof Bem Angwe.

On his part, the Chairman of the NNPP in Benue State, Group Capt Stephen Baba Adah Rtd, who spoke at the Dinner, pledged the unflinching support of his colleagues at the and promised that the party in the State will assiduously work to ensure the victory of the NNPP and all its candidates, including Prof Bem Angwe.

The State Chairman who gave highlights of the Blueprint of the NNPP Presidential Candidate said it included direct participation of all Nigerian citizens in governance, as well as direct funding of projects at the local level across the federation, intimating that the abolition of all kinds of enrollment and examination fees like NECO, NATEB, JAMB etcetera, will be introduced by the Kwankwaso presidency, adding that JAMB results will have a life span of four years, even as graduate corpers will choose where they would like to work during their service years, among other people oriented projects and policies.

Also speaking at the occasion, a respected elder and opinion leader in Benue State, Chief M. Gwajime Gbeji, admonished the guests and the entire people of the state to rise up as one to support Prof Angwe, to enable him change the unfortunate predicament of the people to a more prosperous future from 2023.

Earlier, the celebrant, Prof Bem Angwe told his guests that after the highly successful Dinner outing in Abuja, he desired that the one in Benue should be a gathering of the ordinary people who have been used and abandoned so that he could identity with them because they were the class of people he always sought to represent.

The renown lawyer of human rights said he believed the populace and electorates who have been shortchanged in the scheme of things are in the majority and preferred to seek their support for his gubernatorial ambition.

Prof Angwe informed the audience that initially, he did not desire to contest for any political office, but that after watching the Benue masses suffer for decades on end, he resolved to pick up the gauntlet, opting to run for the position of governor on the platform of NNPP which is a party populated by men of like minds with genuine progressive bent.

He told his audience that he looks onto God and the people for his ambition and that his zone is the entire state and if elected, he will lead the Benue people on the basis of Justice, fairness and balanced power sharing and development, irrespective of tribe, religion, gender or any zoning considerations.

He said his campaign shall be issue based and that, as far as he was concerned, successive leaders in the state have done their best, but that it was time to put Benue back on track, using the abundant natural and human resources with which God has endowed the people of the State.

He promised that given the chance, he will promote mechanised farming, using modern techniques in order to foster the exports of Benue’s rich agricultural products; introduce free education at the primary and secondary levels in the State where graduate teachers will be recruited to teach and elevate the quality of education in public schools, adding that his administratration will introduce policies that will secure the land, creating massive jobs for all classes of people and will unleash unprecedented infrastructural development projects that will simultaneously cut across all the three Senatorial Districts of the State.

In conclusion, he said his full Blueprint for the people of Benue and Campaign Team respectively, will be unveiled to the Benue public very soon.

His presentation was highly applauded by the guests.

Highlights of the occasion was the observation of a solemn silence and prayers for a peaceful repose of Wantaregh iorpuu Unongo who passed on most recently.

There were traditional singers who entertainment the guests as well as elaborate refreshments.

Wife of the celebrant, Mrs Doo Bem Angwe, was also on had to support her husband.

Numerous well wishers and supporters, including professional colleagues, friends; student and labour unions and sociocultural groups across zones A, B and C, contributed significant sums to support the Campaign and ambition of Prof Bem Angwe for next year’s gubernatorial election in Benue State.