Nigerian Newsday

By Scholastica Olewuezi, Makurdi

The Tor Tiv has asked the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) governorship candidate in the April 14 election, Senator Daniel Saror to withdraw his petition against PDP's Gabriel Suswam. Saror has been under intense pressure from the Tiv Traditional Council (TTC) to withdraw his petition against the mandate of PDP’s Gabriel Suswam.

 The Tor Tiv also insisted that for peace to reign in Tiv land, the Action Congress candidate, Mr. Shima Ayati must also withdraw his petition against Suswam. Saror who was accompanied at the Gboko meeting by his opponent in the Action Congress (AC), Honourable Shima Ayati who is also in the court against his kinsman, Suswam, however said he was in line with the resolve to bring peace in Tiv land, but the decision to withdraw the petition or not was not his, but that of his party, the ANPP.

 The Tiv paramount ruler, Ochivirigh Alfred Akawe Torkula summoned the meeting, recently at his Gboko palace, during which the assembly of traditional rulers and elders impressed on the ANPP candidate who is in court to challenge the victory of his PDP opponent, to withdraw the petition. The assembly which included elders from Saror’s Ukum and those of Suswam’s Logo areas, was not through with the consultation, as a meeting was fixed for any time this week during which Suswam would be called for terms with the ANPP candidate.

 Journalists were barred from the meeting by the Tor Tiv who insisted that he was not comfortable discussing the decision to beg Saror before the press, but Saror revealed during an interview that the agenda was to fine tune cease fire between him and his kinsman, Suswam.

 He however dispelled rumours that he has been offered huge sums to take the decision, saying, "No monetary or positional offers. What the traditional institution was looking at is the possibility of creating a truce between us. But it is not for me to decide even though I strongly desire for peace. It is for my party to decide".

 He confirmed that members of the TTC who made up the team to beg him to withdraw the court case were some of the traditional chiefs earlier accused of sponsoring the violence and rigging which he (Saror) petitioned against.

 "Yes some of the traditional chief at the meeting were obviously those who allegedly allocated arms to thugs for the purpose of perpetrating violence. They were alleged to have participated in the snatching of ballot papers and boxes and the thumb printing that characterized the election", he said but added that "I am however sure it was not the decision of the body, but a few unscrupulous persons. So as a Tivman with so much respect for the TTC, I honoured the meeting".

 Saror said he was aware that his teeming supporters are not in support of any attempt to withdraw the petition, adding that, "I hope they would not take my meeting with the TTC to mean I accepted to withdraw. The decision is that of the party not mine".