Ahead of the forthcoming senatorial rerun in Benue South, the Idoma League of Editors has warned journalists in the state to desist from using the media to heat up the polity.
The Editors said members should not discard the ethics of journalism because of politics, adding that the media remains one of the strongest tools for change and development of the land.
ILE in a statement signed by its President, Ali Adoyi also warned politicians in Benue State, particularly the Idoma enclave, otherwise known as Zone C, to desist from fomenting trouble in the land in the name of do-or-die politics as the February 20 rerun draws close to a kickoff.
The Idoma Editors in the statement cautioned that the future of Idomaland was greater than the ambition of any politician, warning egoistic, niggling and money-bag as well as fat-bellied political actors in the state to henceforth stop creating unnecessary tension in the land.
The statement established a dividing line between business politics and selfless politics, cautioning politicians in the land to desist from playing business politics to the detriment of the people they are to protect. It further advised against selling the sole of Idomaland to outsiders in the name of politicking, cautioning that any politician who places premium on outsiders instead of his own people should be disowned.
The league said it had watched with rapt attention and noted how Idoma politicians continue to cuckold their own people and intentionally selling them into political slavery, saying involvement of outsiders in Idoma politics was not healthy for a zone that is already suffering marginalization in the state. Adoyi further urged journalists in the land to live up to the task by resorting to the most powerful political tools and weapons they possess to challenge politicians and their usual antics before and after the February polls.
The statement further said that the, “time has now come for these self-imposed leader to tell us where we are heading to or we show them the exit way. We cannot continue to live in fear in our land because politicians who have over the years neglected our people have suddenly realized that there is now a home.
According to the group, ‘’the latest ruse by some failed politicians who had served at different capacities as Commissioners, Ministers and even Special Advisers, to cause crisis in the same zone they neglected while in office will not work as the Idoma’s are too exposed and civilized to be deceived. Politicians cannot decide for us, we will decide our future by ourselves because the Idomaland belongs to all and not the few.
“We must all embrace journalism of towering reputation. Becoming a doyen of local journalism, we must always peg out in the middle and take position when it’s clear that we need to speak for peace and for the good of our people.
“We agree that the challenges we face today are without doubt huge and relatively unprecedented, but as Editors who have suffered persecutions at different capacities, we welcome challenges, and through our pen which we have never doubted its piecing impact, we say this is of course an exceedingly exciting, and energizing time to separate the good seeds from the chaff.
It further advised both contenders in the forthcoming election in the zone to relate with each other as brothers and to understand that it’s a brotherly contest and not a do-or-die affair. The statement said, “at the end of the day, we will all return home, so we must not destroy where we call home in the name of politics.
“We expect to see Mark and Onjeh coming together to work for the progress of Idomaland despite the difference in political ideology. We also warn outsiders to stop interfering in local politics as the Benue Zone C rerun is for the Idoma people. It’s really not a matter of political party, but a matter who can deliver dividends of democracy to our people.
“We, therefore, call on our members to desist from taking sides in the election, thus, using the social media to create unnecessary tension,” Adoyi added.
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