Michael Kaase Aôndoakaa, a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, has said his return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has nothing to do with the ongoing rift among political bigwigs in Benue, but is driven by personal ambition, news.ng reports.
Aôndoakaa, who made this known Wednesday morning on Arise Television Morning Show, dispelled speculations that his defection from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was motivated by the incumbent Governor of the state, Hyacinth Alia, or Senator George Akume, who is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
“My moving to PDP has nothing to do with His Excellency Governor Alia or has nothing to do with His Excellency Senator George Akume,” he stated, asserting, “It’s just like I’m going home to where I was elevated to the position of justice, to pursue my personal dreams and ambition.”
The former Minister of Justice under Presidents Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan stressed his strong bond with the PDP, on whose platform he rose to prominence.
Aôndoakaa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said that through the economic reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a solid foundation has been created for state governors.
“This ambition is anchored on the fact that President Ahmed Tinubu… has liberalized the economy by deregulation, and that has made all the state government have robust foundation, resource-wise, to carry out their programs,” he said.
On his plans for Benue State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, the former AGF said his administration will focus entirely on rural development using the robust state resources, while mentioning the need to achieve the United Nations Development Goals (UNDG) by 2030.
“I have my dreams of carrying out my programs in a different way. My way is to make sure that the money that is flowing to the state now be utilized for improvement of the rural communities, providing food, providing shelter, and providing classes, and ensuring that the seventeen goals of the United Nations Development Goals (UNDG), the seventeen goals, which are to end by twenty-thirty, are fully actualized, he said.
More importantly, on the spate of insecurity in the state caused by the herder-farmers crisis, the former Minister said he would ensure the enforcement of the anti-grazing law, which protects the lives of livestock.
“And in doing so is for me to have an opportunity to activate all laws enacted in the state and all laws relevant by the federal government for protection of lives and property in Benue State, including the enforcement of anti-grazing law and the enforcement of the Penal Code provision protecting the lives of livestock within Benue State. Right now, we have a lot of crises in the state.
“The crisis are the herder-farmers crisis, and now an emerging crisis has emerged because of the discovery of solid minerals, which are now being illegally mined. And the farmers are brutally displaced,” noted.
