Notwithstanding his performances as representative of Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency, Isherev youth have issued Rep Dickson Tarkighir a red card, asking him to shelve any interest in contesting the 2027 Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency election.
Rep Tarkighir, one of the most popular representatives from Benue State, first won election to represent Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency in 2015 and then in 2023, having lost the 2019 election to the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) Bem Mzondu. It is evident that he is seeking re-election.
Following in the steps of “Isherev elders of Makurdi/Guma,” the youth at a press conference in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, were “unanimous and unambiguous” that the 2027 Makurdi/Guma House of Representatives seat belongs to Isherev and cannot be loaned out.
“In this regard, we, the Concerned Isherev Youths Worldwide, have come out publicly to affirm, endorse, and stand firmly with the position of the Isherev elders.
“Any Isherev youth found campaigning or working for a candidate outside Isherev is doing so strictly in a personal capacity and does not represent the collective will, position, or interest of the Isherev people,” the group warned.
The group explained that since the seat is rotated between Makurdi and Guma, with each local area producing a representative for two tenures before handing over to the other, “it is both morally just and politically correct that the seat returns to Isherev in Makurdi Local Government Area (LGA) to produce the next member of the House of Representatives.”
“We, therefore, call on the current occupant of the seat (Rep Tarkighir) to respect this long-standing zoning arrangement by dropping any third-term ambition and reciprocating the goodwill, trust, and political support previously extended to him by the Isherev people,” the group said.
The Isherev youth, while we acknowledge and appreciate “his contributions,” said, “Equity, justice, and political morality demand that the seat returns to Isherev in 2027.”
They, therefore, called on “all leaders, elders, political stakeholders, and opinion shapers of Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency to rise in defence of justice and fairness by ensuring that the House of Representatives seat returns to Isherev in Makurdi Local Government Area as agreed. Zoning has been the bedrock of peaceful political coexistence in our constituency, and it must be sustained in the interest of unity, equity, and progress.
“Furthermore, we call on all political parties operating within Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency to respect the collective will of the people by fielding only Isherev candidates for the Makurdi/Guma House of Representatives seat in the 2027 general elections. This call is anchored on the long-standing zoning arrangement, the principles of fairness and inclusion, and the demographic and indigenous realities of the constituency. Political parties committed to justice, equity, and peaceful coexistence must align their nomination processes with this widely accepted position.”
