Before David Bonaventure Alechenu Mark emerged the senate president of the federal Republic of Nigeria barely a week today, there had been controversies that trailed him in his homeland of Idoma in Benue State. They called him to order before the PDP primaries to be in preparation to return home from Abuja after serving his second term as a senator of their constituency. But Mark did not heed to that call, he contested in the PDP primaries in Benue State, which was a galleria of Generals. And Mark himself was a military official that administrated Niger State during the military epoch.
The Idoma feel betrayed because of Mark’s reasoning in 2003 elections that the Idoma should support Governor George Akume, just passed governor of Benue State, so that Akume in return would support them in 2007. He said this without considering the fact that Idoma had taken the position that come rain or shine it was their turn to produce the governor. Mark marked that notion with a red ink and insisted that Apostle Mark did not conceive the time for the Idoma to produce governor. Unveiling many things that transpired in Idoma that saw Mark through as a senator may grieve some people, let us leave that for time.
However, victory was going the way of his rival until there was result from just two local governments that turned out to be magic. Youths in Otukpo, the headquarters of Idoma, went into destruction of properties because Mark was not their choice.
As the youths went berserk in Otukpo, in the end, the results as announced in Otukpo were cancelled. Plans were made to conduct a by-election but before the youths could pronounce runaway, there was a sudden twist, Mark had been declared winner of the contest from Aso Rock – their Rock of crime. But the question was, why Mark since he was not the choice of the Idoma?
As Mark won the election, the initial development of destroying properties took a new phase; now was another development of violence by the Benue State government reportedly fired some local government staff where the controversial results that paved way for Mark’s victory came from shortly after the elections.
Many enthusiasts of Benue State’s politics wondered why the imposition of Mark on the people that did not want him. And PDP-led government was responsible for that. This is the same way they rigged all the elections in the recently conducted elections in the country. Nigerians are watching!
It amounts to foolery that Mark who had no face back home was voted to be the Senate President of a mighty country like Nigeria because he is a Christian. Does the axiom, charity or beauty begins at home not work again?
Even in the senate, before Mark, a lot of Senators who wanted to ask question “why Mark the senate president” were ignored because the PDP National Chairman Ali and ignoble Olusegun Obasanjo has commanded. Reportedly, Obasanjo is now drafting a map of Golgotha he would make sure that Tony Anenih would travel on for not had given Mark his maximum rally and vote. But no matter how Obasanjo and the ruling PDP-government may side Mark because the seat was zoned to North Central, a lot of the constitutional lawmakers see Mark as a wrong choice and a renegade.
Hear Senator Nuhu Aliyu: “You also remember that the party invited us to the villa where the party directed that those who will stand the elections are David Mark and co…. The zone invited us for a meeting at Sheraton Hotel and the meeting was held in Ladi-kwali Hall. The zonal Chairman of the party was the chairman of the meeting and of course, all the party chairmen and all the dignitaries within the zone were there. I was there, Sodangi was there, and Gbemi Saraki was there and so were all the other Senators from the zone. But David Mark did not show up…” Imagine!
Being an absentee in that meeting is a fact that explains that Mark may be absent when Nigerians may need him most. However, it did not start with Mark that day; after all he was absent to hearken to the voice of the populace when they called senators of the Benue origin to join hands and stop the evil third term agenda. Rather, Mark, reportedly was the only senator from Benue State that supported that third term bid.
Again, because of Mark, Idoma people did not realize their long time ambition of producing the number one citizen of Benue State, because Mark calls the shot in the State. Mark has consistently bragged and beat his chest and told anyone who has a listening ear that cared to listen to him that he had no apologies for supporting the third term bid. In his remark, Mark said that why he supported the Owu-born cesspit agenda was in the collective interest of the Idoma nation to protect its political future.
Mark should come down from the high horse and cover his face in shame! He should say the apologies because he did not know the magnanimity that evil agenda caused the collective intelligence and sensibilities of the Nigeria people. And if that plot had worked, would he have become the Senate President today? At least with this, Mark have a reason to say I’m sorry for supporting the Judas Iscariot’s bandwagon.
Though, time is the best healer. However, if the returning Senators that fought the third ‘termites’ to a standstill voted for Mark against Senator George Akume because the latter is new in the system, there should not be any form of entertainment of fear because they will fight Mark also to standstill if he messes up. His military might has nothing to do with the senate Uche Chukwumereije and Olorunimbe Mamora are senators. They are admonishers!
