Together for Tomorrow

On the Continued Marginalization of Apa/Agatu and the Imperative of Justice in the 2026 Chairmanship

By Idris Ehi Natty
19/01/2026

Dear Leaders of the All Progressives Congress, Benue State Chapter,

This letter is written not out of bitterness, but out of political responsibility. It is written because silence, in the face of repeated injustice, has now become complicity. The continued marginalization of Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency within the Benue APC is no longer a matter of internal adjustment—it is a political error with far-reaching consequences.

Politics thrives on balance, equity, and inclusion. Any party that persistently sidelines a loyal and strategic constituency is not strengthening itself; it is deliberately weakening its own foundation. For years, the internal power structure of the APC in Zone C has operated in a manner that systematically excludes Apa/Agatu, despite its consistent loyalty and electoral relevance.

Since the creation of Benue State, Apa/Agatu has never produced a Deputy Governor, a Senator, or a State Party Chairman under the APC and other political parties. Yet, election after election, Apa/Agatu delivers votes, sustains party structures, and defends the APC at the grassroots—often at great political cost. This pattern is not accidental. It is exploitation disguised as party loyalty.

After Comrade Abba Yaro of Ogbadibo Local Government presided over the Benue APC Chairmanship for twelve uninterrupted years, political logic, fairness, and zoning arrangements demanded a shift to Apa/Agatu. Instead, the chairmanship was recycled within the same local government, resulting in the emergence of Mr. Austin Agada. This decision sent a clear and damaging message: influence outweighs equity, and loyalty is expendable.

The same injustice was repeated with the Deputy Governorship slot. Originally zoned to Apa/Agatu, it was later diverted to Otukpo Local Government, allowing Engr. Benson Abounu to complete his tenure. When zoning agreements are consistently altered to the disadvantage of one constituency, the implication is unmistakable—Apa/Agatu is expected to serve without ever being served.

Let it be stated clearly: no constituency can be treated as a political workhorse indefinitely without consequences. A party that denies a committed bloc visibility, authority, and ownership is inviting internal rebellion, whether silent or overt. Apa/Agatu has demonstrated restraint, discipline, and commitment to party unity, but restraint must not be mistaken for political irrelevance or weakness.

The 2026 congress presents the APC with a defining choice. You can either correct this long-standing imbalance or institutionalize injustice. Refusing Apa/Agatu the Benue State APC Chairmanship will not preserve unity—it will expose the party’s internal contradictions and deepen fractures within Zone C.

Granting the chairmanship to Apa/Agatu is not an act of charity. It is a strategic necessity and a moral obligation. It will restore trust, stabilize party structures, and project the APC as a party capable of rewarding loyalty and managing diversity. More importantly, it will deprive opposition forces of the opportunity to exploit grievances that their actions has created.

Apa/Agatu is not asking for favors.
Apa/Agatu is demanding fairness.
Apa/Agatu has earned its turn.

In 2026, equity must move beyond rhetoric and become policy.
The APC must act now—or accept full responsibility for the political consequences of continued exclusion.

BEHIND THE SHADOW

Midnight skin, a gentle caress,
Shadows dance, in a lover's dress.
The room whispers secrets, as we sway,
Our hearts beating, in a sensual way.

Softly touching, lips so near,
The air thickens, with desire clear.
In this moment, we are one,
Lost in passion, forever won.

Soft whispers in the dead of night,
Bodies entwined, a sensual delight.
Fingers tracing, lips so fine,
Passion's flame, a love divine.

In the heat of the moment, we collide,
Our hearts racing, side by side.
Every touch, a spark ignites,
A dance of desire, through the night's delight.

You are Jennifer , a patient living in Chicago. You have a hospital bracelet and a pack of bandages. You wake up in an old rundown hospital with no memory of how you got there. You take a look around the room and see

You are Jennifer , a patient living in Chicago. You have a hospital bracelet and a pack of bandages. You wake up in an old rundown hospital with no memory of how you got there. You take a look around the room and see

a single flickering fluorescent light above you, casting eerie shadows on the peeling wallpaper and rusted medical equipment. The air is stale and heavy with the scent of antiseptic. The room is small, with a single bed pushed up against the wall, and a narrow window covered in grime.

a single flickering fluorescent light above you, casting eerie shadows on the peeling wallpaper and rusted medical equipment. The air is stale and heavy with the scent of antiseptic. The room is small, with a single bed pushed up against the wall, and a narrow window covered in grime.

You are Elias, an owner living at the largest privately owned big cat zoo in the world. You have an eye ring and a mullet. You are looking for the next easy way to save money. You have found that you can cut costs drastically at your zoo byYou are Elias, an owner living at the largest privately owned big cat zoo in the world. You have an eye ring and a mullet. You are looking for the next easy way to save money. You have found that you can cut costs drastically at your zoo by feeding the big cats inferior quality meat from a less-reputable supplier. The taste may be lower quality, but it still meets their nutritional needs and will save you a significant amount of money in the long run. feeding the big cats inferior quality meat from a less-reputable supplier. The taste may be lower quality, but it still meets their nutritional needs and will save you a significant amount of money in the long run.

You i'm a writer.
As a writer, you ponder the implications of your decision to switch to lower-quality meat for feeding the big cats at your zoo. You consider the potential backlash from animal rights activists and the public if they were to find out. As a writer, you ponder the implications of your decision to switch to lower-quality meat for feeding the big cats at your zoo. You consider the potential backlash from animal rights activists and the public if they were to find out.

You a Play write.
As a playwright, you consider the potential drama that could unfold as a result of your decision to switch to lower-quality meat for the big cats at your zoo. You imagine the conflict between the characters, the tension building as the truth is slowly revealed, and the eventual resolution. As a playwright, you consider the potential drama that could unfold as a result of your decision to switch to lower-quality meat for the big cats at your zoo. You imagine the conflict between the characters, the tension build

History of Abuja

The land now called Abuja was originally the south-western part of the ancient Habe (Hausa) kingdom of Zazzau (Zaria). It was populated for centuries by several semi-independent tribes. The largest of the tribes was Gbagyi (Gwari), followed by the Koro and a few other smaller tribes. In early 1800'′s when Zaria fell to Fulani invaders, Muhammed Makau, fled south with some followers and his brothers- Abu Ja and Kwaka. Abu Ja succeeded Makau in 1825. The full name of the king was Abubakar, Abu was his nickname. By some accounts his fair complexion earned him the nickname Ja which means red or fair-skinned in Hausa. He became known as Abu-Ja meaning Abu the red or Abubakar the fair one. Other sources say that the Ja is a shortened form of lshaku Jatau, his father's name. King Abubakar founded the kingdom of Abuja.

Abuja became a major commercial center where goods were exchanged by long distance traders. The inhabitants successfully fought off the Fulani and were not conquered as the neighbouring lands were. In 1902, Abuja was occupied by the British colonial army The British reorganized the kingdoms and called them emirates which means kingdoms in Arabic. Until 1975, it remained a quiet part of Nigeria. The problems associated with the capital being in Lagos, led to the search for a new capital that year. Abuja was selected from amongst 33 possible sites. The criteria used for selection included: centrality, health, climate, land availability and use, water supply, multi-access possibilities, security, existence of resources, drainage, good soil, physical planning convenience and ethnic accord.

The Emir of Abuja at the time, Altai Suleiman Bara, was asked to meet with his Emirate Council to approve contributing four of the live districts to Abuja to become the new capital. The council was divided as some districts considered it too much of a sacrifice; but at the end, they approved the request from the Federal Government. Thus, the Abuja in Niger

B E H I N D T H E C U R T A I N

Behind the curtain,
A place where worthless
Bodies were extremely imported.
And cannibals fertilize the land.
The seal of my identity went mad.
Yet the streets dance with tears.

Behind the curtain,
Great things narrowly happened.
I saw flags on sinking ships.
Perilously devastated, and their faces
They sucked blood and were drugged.
Maybe you don’t know, but look, please.

Behind the curtain,
Rapists blew balloons as a signal.
And the workaholic taste of geniuses
Remorseful saluted lament with insane.
Though it wasn’t worth living,
I saw misery plastering the streets.

Behind the curtain,
My symbol was torn apart into pieces.
Constitutional, I knew something.
Actually, it went wrong; my statue was
Ready to be given to death for meat.
For all I knew, I was living but dead.

Behind the curtain,
Pen-robbers tarnished our lives.
The scarcity of things rejoiced quickly.
Like news on repeat, we ate sorrow.
We're like cake prepared for a party.
Just at any moment, we can be eaten.

©Gabriel S. Weah

STREET ANTHEM

Eyes go red like palm oil,
Blood self go flow like river,
Let your body thick like kpomo
Because nah who gree f**k up.

No dey follow them cap nonsense,
If your body dey rise like garri Ijebu,
Tell ur brain not to fluctuate like dollar rate.
Remember say nah who gree, f**k up!

If your mates dey run and you dey trek,
No too think ham, economy self dey twerk.
Even Pablo self don dey slim fit T-shirt.
Remember, nah who gree, f**k up!

And at the end no forget heaven,
Hell dey burn, the fire pass oven.
No explanation fit help you,
Because God no go gree for you!

— VICFIK

What shall we say in response to these things?
I love the fact that we are excited about our history.
Never.the.less, we can't keep speculating about some ancient events that we know little about.
First, let's look at Eden. It's not proven anywhere by anyone, dead or alive, that Eden was located on the African soil. Of course, her first inhabitants, Adam and Eve, were black, as written in the book of Enoch, the seventh from Adam. According to this ancient holy book, Noah was the first white human.
If you read the book of Genesis carefully and with the greatest care, you will see the the garden of Eden had a single river that would move by itself and water the entire Eden, because God was yet to cause rain to fall on earth.
It's written in Genesis that the river divided into four rivers outside the garden. Today, to of the four rivers are wiped away clean like a stain; but the other two are still flowing, and one of them is River Euphrates. Now what is so fascinating about the two surviving rivers is that they both have their source in Turkey. What this implies is that the single river that divided Eden into two was located in Turkey, and not Africa or Israel. So the location of Eden is Turkey.
In the book of Revelation, Christ Jesus reveals that Satan has his throne in Pergamum, Turkey. Why is this important? It is because Satan would set his throne in the territory he defeated our first parents. This is lawful.
The fact that the source of the two surviving rivers is Turkey and the throne of Satan as well located in Turkey shows that Eden was in Turkey and not anywhere we keep guessing.

Now let's focus on Christ Jesus Himself. The Jesus that is described in the book of Revelation by Apostle John the son of Zebedee, does not have the same image with Jesus the Word became flesh. When Christ Jesus ascended into heaven, he took back His original form that He was having the the Father. (Christ is the exact image of the invisible God.) In other words, when Jesus came down to earth, he was given an imperfect image to look like any other human: He did not have an attractive image that would pull people to Him.
So talking about the colour of Jesus who was in human form and quoting the book of Revelation that describes the ascended and glorified Jesus doesn't make any sense (to me). As a human, he wasn't having white hair like wool on his head when he died at thirty-three.

More so, dragging Jesus to Africa in this way rather promotes racism. Jesus came and died for all; and more than that, He was raised to life and is in heaven with the Father.
You can, of course, use any story in the Bible and turn it into a quasi-fictional work; Paradise Lost.
Son of thunder.

THE DARKNESS IN MY HEART

Sometimes I feel
Like there's no fill
Empty down within
A glorified waste bin

Sometimes I feel
Like taking the wheel
Going against His will
Just to have fun and chill

Most times I keep shut
To let pain take its shot
Most tines I raise my voice
To wade off the strange noise

The more I do it by my power
The more I go farther
The more I use my own strength
The more I keep God at arms length

So I do what seems necessary
My eyes on the cross of Calvary
Till I see no more anguish
Till my soul no longer perish

W.B, 2024

THE PREACHER

Inspired by greed
You ask me to sow a seed

You emphasize that my offerings
Will definitely end all my sufferings

You said that my tithe
Will stop my life from being tight

With your manipulative rod
You ask me to provoke God

With every of your fair speech
You feed on my gullibility like a leech

You use my brain
For your own gain

You detest my mental freedom
You term it carnal wisdom

I have been shouting: I receive it
To every of your declaration from the pulpit

Yet nothing is changing
Instead things are deranging

You brought me to the place of fear
By declaring that the End Time is near

Yet you have building projects in sight
Where you call PERMANENT SITE

You are busy planning for your future
While you flog me with the tale of the rapture

You claim that the world is not our home
Yet you are on earth building another Rome

You are fighting for a UK visa even
Instead of a Visa to heaven

Ah! Mr preacher
You are a deceiver

A pulpit bandit
A falsehood addict

King Nelson
D LAST POET