GWER EAST/WEST 2023: Details Emerges On How Engr. Nongo defeated Arc. Achado to clinch the APC ticket.

Yesterday, we reported that Engr. Terhemba David Nongo was returned winner of the All Progressive Congress-APC, Gwer East and Gwer West House of Representatives primaries by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The former Acting Managing Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Zones Authority (NEPZA) defeated two other industrious sons of Masev, a businessman, Arc. Asema Austin Achado and Engr. Benjamin Tersen Aernyi to clinch the APC Gwer Federal Constituency ticket.

It's no longer news that Gwer East and Gwer West HOR primaries is the most talked about elections after the APC gubernatorial in BENUE state. This is because for the first time in the history of Masev people, zoning was infringed.

Never in the history of the people, elections have been contested without first, determining which part (bloc) is favoured by zoning. Zoning has been sacrosanct in Masev politics.

Power rotates amongst three political blocs of Ngyohov, Njiriv and Yonov in Gwer East Local Government Area. It is not magic for anyone who understands the politics of Gwer East to figure out the bloc that is favoured for any political position in Gwer East, being it Chairman, HOR, State Assembly or Councillor. So, when both the ruling party, PDP and the main opposition party refused to seat and zoned the HOR seat to the appropriate bloc, the tensions started swelling up and it got worse everyday.

The first HOR member from Gwer East was Hon. Kaatyo Ugoh From Ngyohov, a kinsman of Arc. Asema Achado. The Ngyohov people are traditionally divided across two lines - Danyibor and Mbaav, but just as it is found everywhere in Masev, their political blocs are three - Kyonov (Kyonov and Mbalagh), Mbabur and Mbaav (Gee Mbayom).

The second and third HOR members from Gwer East were Hon. Clement Tsetse from Njiriv (Ikyogbajir) and Hon. Christiana Alaaga from Yonov (Mbaivur) completing the first rotational circle.

When zoning is carried out at the first level (Ngyohov, Njiriv and Yonov) in Gwer East, the bloc favoured continued by micro-zoning the position to the most favoured bloc. This is done to promote equity and the Tiv people's principle of 'ya na anngbyan'. When 2023 presented the Masev people the opportunity to restart the rotation of the HOR in Ngyohov, some greedy elements tried to frustrate the long practiced tradition. The PDP with the support of Governor Ortom for instance, zoned the seat to Gwer West, and narrowed it to Hon. Mark Gbillah, who later lost to the highest bidder, Hon. Emmanuel Ukaa, who paid a whopping N500,000 each for a good number delegates to emerged the flagbearer of the PDP.

The APC on the other hand, held series of meeting to discuss and zoned the HOR seat to a particular bloc but were effortless as Arc. Asema Achado was absent in two of the meetings called by Masev Stakeholders under the leadership of Amb. Yonov Frederick Agah (DG/Chief Trade Negotiator, Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations), Hon. Chief Akange Audu (APC Leader, Zone B), Prof. Jonathan Uever (Former SA to Governor Ortom), and Hon. John Hingah Biem (Retired Perm. Secretary and former Guber Aspirant). The other two aspirants, Engrs. Nongo and Aernyi in the two meetings, pledged their unalloyed loyalty to the Masev nation, they agreed that should zoning be called, they will succumb to the will of the Masev people and support whoever is favoured by zoning, but the absent of Arc. Achado in the meetings truncated the discussions.

On the 29th of May, 2022, a direct primary election was held in all the wards of the two Local Government Areas to elect the candidate of the party for the 2023 general elections and Engr. Nongo, against all odds defeated Arc. Achado and Engr. Aernyi to pick the HOR ticket.

The elections were almost marred by some hired thugs who tried to shortchanged the will of the Masev nation, when the electoral officers were conveying the materials to Aliade, the headquarters of Gwer East. The election reports read that the elections were parallelled but successful and Engr. Nongo, having polled the legal and highest votes was returned the winner.

The report of the HOR Appeal Committee sitting in Makurdi too was in consonants with that if the Police, DSS and the Returning Officer.

The NWC working committee received the name of Engr. Nongo as winner on the 30th of May, 2023. Nongo was screened alongside other candidates and successfully filled submitted his INEC form EC9 on the 15th of June, 2023.

Yesterday, the party sent his name to the state headquarters alongside other APC National Assembly Candidates as the standard flagbearer of the party in Gwer East and Gwer West Federal Constituency ahead of the general elections in February, 2023.

See attached copies below 👇