August 18, (THEWILL) – The Majority Leader of the Benue State House of Assembly, Makurdi, Hon. Tiseer Saater, has distanced himself from a press conference credited to him by a group under the aegis of Zone A People’s Assembly (ZAPA) in which they accused the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, of marginalising other sections of Benue State.
At a news conference in Makurdi, on Friday, the Ushongo representative in the Assembly congratulated Senator Akume for being an influential leader, who attracts good things and dividends of democracy to his people.
“We sincerely encourage him to do more for the unity, progress and development of the Tiv nation, Benue State and Nigeria at large,” he said.
According to Tiseer, the fact that one of the signatories to the text under reference was not identified correctly indicated that the document was not authored by those people alleged to have authored same.
“There is no way Dan Ashiekaa could have addressed himself as Engineer. There is an Engr Peter Ashiekaa, not Dan. Again, that the alleged authors, including myself, Saater Tiseer, did not append any signatures made the write-up unofficial and most unserious.
“As the Majority Leader of the 10th Benue State House of Assembly, I do not lack any space, time and fronts to state my issues and concerns on any media platform within my ambits and comfort, and as such, would not descend so low to disrespect my office, personality and character to hide under pseudo accounts to author the said press conference.
“Let it be known that Comrade Saater Tiseer is not a member of ZAPA and has never intended or contemplated at any moment joining the assembly called ZAPA,” he stated.
He pointed out that as a student of history, who hails from Ushongo Local Government Area, he has no business with the appointments of Tiv sons from Jemgbagh extraction fully knowing that in the short-lived regime of Umaru Musa Yar’adua and that of Goodluck Jonathan (2007-2015) that Ushongo people enjoyed the opportunity of serving Nigeria in various capacities at the federal level.
The Benue lawmaker listed Ushongo people that enjoyed Federal appointments in the past to include, Justice Katsina Alu as Chief Judge of Nigeria; Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN) as Attorney General and Minister of Justice; Dr Paul Orhii as Director General of NAFDAC; Mr Robert Orya as MD/CEO of NEXIM Bank; and Mrs Mzamber Waziri as chairman of EFCC.
“Therefore, the purported press conference that we are said to co-author is a cheap, shameful and low act of actors of mischief and perpetrators of disunity, calculated to cause disaffection in order to widen the walls of disunity. It is laughable, inglorious and unpopular that such archaic and barbaric acts are making round the streets of our revered nation,” he added.
Honourable Tiseer pointed out that Sir Tersoo Kula, as the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hycinth Alia, would not cheapen his office to operate under a pseudo account hence he controls a litany of press men, while Rt Honorable Terkimbi Ikyange, a former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, also have pressmen around him in case he wants to speak on any issue.
The Majority Leader, therefore, called on members of the public to disregard the publication from ZAPA in its entity.
