Samuel Akaakaa is a businessman, preacher, and politician. He is from Mbakyo, Mbakwav, Mbaankuu ward of Mbatiav clan in Gboko West State Constituency of Benue State. The missionary, businessman cum politician is now an active member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, aspiring to represent the people of Gboko West at the Benue State House of Assembly come 2027.
The Voice Politics’ James Shim captures him in an interview saying his philosophy about politics is to usher in development for the advancement of society and the wellbeing of the masses. He is also promising sustainable development.
Excerpts.
Brief political profile: I started politics as far back as 1996, though not very active, during the time of General Sani Abacha. A few things happened and I veered off, came back into politics and worked with Hon Abua Yaji when he was Chairman, Gboko Local Government, as one of his aides under the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. However, I was not satisfied with the way things were being done in politics; it did not rhyme with my idea of development, so I stepped aside to pursue other interests. I came back again in 2024 and tried to run for the office of Chairman of Gboko Local Government Area but it did not materialize. From that time, I became more regular in politics, first, with the PDP.
What, therefore, is your philosophy in politics?
I believe that politics is a game that is common to mankind, and whether we are active participants or not, we are involved in one way or the other. Unfortunately, our politics is hardly ideological. There is no extreme left or right position. We simply belong to a political party based on personal interest, and I feel that whether we are ideologically inclined or not, we should be concerned with the concept of development. As far as I am concerned, not many politicians are concerned about development. The majority of politicians just want to get there for what they can get and use it the way they want. I want to give to the system; I want to see what I can do with the system but not what the system necessarily will do for me.
So, how do you think you can change this narrative?
Basically, by being development-oriented and focused. For instance, governance should be concerned about security, infrastructure, health, and education. I think a good leader who is focused on development should channel available resources into developing the state. When the key indicators are in place, it attracts investment from outside. My interest now is going to be more in the legislative aspect of governance. So, we have to do it either by making laws, mending laws, or repealing laws. Either way, I want to see how I can bring about developing this key area of governance.
What is actually prompting you to develop an interest in the legislative seat?
First of all, I want to be an active participant. I want to bring my little knowledge about development to bear in the running of affairs in Gboko West constituency. Our people have felt needs; they have present and future needs, and we need to address all of these. I see a lack in bringing sustainable development on course. For instance, if I am looking at agriculture, I want to see sustainable development in agriculture; I want to see long-term planning. That is the gap, and I want to fill that gap by bringing strategic planning to the activities of governance.
How do you think this additional seat for Gboko Local Government at the State House of Assembly can affect your aspiration?
Positively, because instead of two constituencies, we shall have three. An additional constituency means an added voice. Again, Gboko is perhaps the most populated local government in Benue State. It is, therefore, most deserving and long overdue. So, the creation of an additional local government in Gboko is a welcome development, and I look forward to having more colleagues from Gboko so that we can contest for what concerns Gboko in the State Assembly.
The current member occupying the seat is from your area, and he appears to be nursing the aspiration for a return ticket; what do you think you can do differently from what he is doing?
Yes, the seat in question and the person occupying it currently is from the same ward as me. I will only say it will be different in how we approach development. I am going to focus largely on sustainable development, which I think is lacking not just in Gboko but largely in Nigerian politics. The only person I am seeing with the idea now is our Governor, Rev Fr Dr Hyacinth Alia. I can see he has embraced the concept and he is driving it with passion and bringing in visionary leadership. He is forward-thinking and he takes bold actions. People seem to be interested in short-term gains, but the governor is interested in long-term gains. That is the kind of development I want to bring, and that is what I think I can do differently. I have something pressing and urgent to offer.
How do you see the relationship between your current assembly representative and the Governor?
I do not have any idea about that; if there are frictions, if there are tensions, and if there are crises, I am not aware of it.
But you are aware he was removed as Speaker?
He was not removed; he wrote the resignation letter himself, and it was handwritten; I read it.
Gboko West can be referred to as the governor’s second home; how has he extended development to the area?
The Governor has done substantially well in the Gbemacha constituency. His second home is here, and it falls directly in my constituency. For the first time in history, we have a Government Technical College under construction; we have a road with nylon tar still under construction; we have a primary school, which is even my alma mater, with infrastructural development – a borehole being sunk, a story building built with state-of-the-art classrooms, and dedicated. We are also having electricity, and people are on the ground working. I think this is wonderful and a blessing, to the credit of Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia.
So, you feel this is enough for the people to celebrate the governor?
We have not had anything like this since we began, as far back as 1979. We are having all these in less than three years, and one year is left for the first term of the governor, and we have full confidence in his second term, so we have so much more to celebrate.
What do you foresee for the future of APC with the pockets of crises springing up?
Elections will come and will be smooth and convincing. First, out of free will, everyone is gravitating towards the APC. It means there is something. Every State Governor has had enough to do something for their states. I think that is the attraction. As for intera party crises, it is because in every big house, there are always vessels of honor and dishonor. All of these, as far as APC is concerned, are geared towards the success of the party. We cannot eliminate crisis, but the big question is, can we resolve it? And I think we can. I see victory at the polls come 2027.
What, particularly, would you do for the people if given the mandate?
It is very clear; I am interested in sustainable agriculture. Whatever laws or contributions I will be making will be geared towards sustainable agriculture. I am particularly interested in pricing. Farmers suffer a lot to get inputs, and in the end, they cannot determine how much their produce is sold. I do not think this is healthy. Again, the pressure poverty brings to bear on people forces them to sell at early stages with poor prices. I am looking at the emergence of a Marketing Board that helps regulate prices, mops up commodities from farmers at good and affordable prices, and keeps this produce for the future when prices will be higher in the market.
I am interested in educational reforms. We have poor and bad schools with no infrastructure; teacher trainings are all the time poor and low. I want to look into this. I am also interested in sports development. I think our youths and children need to be developed. Sports help to build health, patience, perseverance, and endurance. It helps build teamwork and all other benefits that come from people working together. Even if I am not in the legislature, I want to do things that will support the kind of development I believe in.
How would you blend missionary work and politics to achieve your desired results?
I feel the best politicians ought to be Christians because it teaches us love, morality, and loyalty. No other religion teaches these things the way the Bible does. So, I believe firmly in the principles of love, morality, and loyalty. Love will drive people to care about others and drive policies that are geared towards development. Loyalty should first be to the electorate. The Bible teaches us that we should be good shepherds of the resources that are put in our hands. So, if a Christian ventures into politics and does not abandon the principles, I think the best politicians ought to be Christians. Christians should dominate politics. He is law-abiding, loyal, and filled with love because God is love and fair to all of mankind.
What, therefore, would be your advice to the people?
I want to see a more active participation by people generally. It looks like people are passive observers, and this is not correct. If democracy is government of the people, by the people, and for the people, it should reflect. I want to see people rise and take hold of their destinies by compelling their representatives to do the right thing. The mandate actually belongs to the people, and people must be involved.
How are you favored by zoning in the race?
Even though zoning is unconstitutional, we have practiced it, and it is quite helpful, and I think it should continue, as the Governor says: “that is the only way a nobody can become a somebody”. The zoning favours me completely. First of all, the seat of Gboko West is for Mbatiav. Mbatierev in Gboko had it for twelve years, and we have only had it for about five or six years now, and we must exhaust the twelve years before it will go back to Mbatierev again. We are just in the second half of the second term, and it belongs to the Mbaankuu Ward. I am from Mbaankuu. If it comes to Mbaankuu, there are two sections-Mbaankwaa and Mbasuu. Mbasuu have enjoyed it for almost eight years before this issue of suspension. But we believe their son is on the seat, and they will complete the four years, and because we are their neighbours, and because we gave the seat to them on loan, we are demanding that the seat be returned to us, the legitimate owners. It was ours in the first place, and we gave it out on brotherly love. And since they have not played their cards well, we want it returned so that representation from our side will also be seen out there, and we want to play our cards right when it gets to us in Mbaankuu, which is the reason why somebody from Mbaankuu wants it.
