AN OPEN LETTER TO RT. HON. GABRIEL TORWUA SUSWAM CON, PhD

Chir Msugh Iorwase Armstrong

WHILE YOU LEFT PART 3

Dear sir,

Good day. Permit me to begin this letter without the requisite official protocol due to your high personality owing to the urgency of its thrust.

Rt. Hon. Suswam, I would have written to you long before now, but I was very busy with other issues and at the same time studying happenings in our dear state, Benue.

As you are aware, my former governor, the most constant thing under the surface of the earth is “CHANGE”, indeed change has taken place.

Dr Suswam, I write today to inform you formally that your beloved boy, Armstrong, has finally joined the current administration led by Governor Samuel Ortom to contribute his little quota to uplift and move our dear state forward.I took this decision on the ground that the interest of our state is supreme and therefore above personal gains.

After you received the part 2 of this series of “While you left” a couple of months ago lots of things and events unfolded. Please give me a little of your attention so that I may recount a few of these.

1. Sir, immediately I transmitted the part 2 of “while you left” to your desk, the Justice Elizabeth Kpojime Commission of Inquiry submitted its report and your name and 51 other Benue sons and daughters made the list. The Commission of Inquiry made some breath taking recommendations. The commission said you and the other 51 persons are to return into our state coffers the sum amount of N107 billion. My heart almost jumped out of my mouth when I stumbled on the details of the Kpojime report and recommendations. First, I queried why you did not pay our poor parents their salaries when you and a few individuals were in possession of this huge money. I wondered again and again, I can recall vividly when you were invited for questioning at the time the commission commenced investigation. Rather than turn up, you headed to the court to frustrate the free flow of the commission, too bad my Barrister. You and I were here when Atiku Abubakar as the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was invited by an executive panel, a similar one you turned down their invitation. Note that Atiku at that time was still the Vice President with immunity as enshrined in our country’s constitution. He reserved the  right to dismiss such an invitation with the wave of the hand knowing full well that as the Vice President the only body vested with powers to probe him and the office he occupied was the National Assembly. Inspite of all this Alhaji Atiku said through his counsel  that “His client (Atiku) is mindful of the immunity attached to his office by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but for the sake of posterity and his name which he cherished and wished to protect his client shall honor the invitation”. I was expecting to see you clear the air on all the allegations and accusations levelled against your person but you disappointed most of us.

Why didn’t you  honor the invitation of the Commission? The energy and resources you injected into the suit you filed at the High Court was more intensive than appearing before the Justice Kpojime Commission and answering  a few questions, in my opinion.

2. Rt. Honorable, today the government of the day in the state can not run effectively because of your financial recklessness and misappropriation, what is the state wage bill? Don’t you think if N107billion is injected into the state treasury lots of wrongs will be corrected? As a lover of peace I advice you to talk to the other 51 looters to kindly return the money they looted if thereafter Governor Ortom fails to pay workers their salaries there and then we shall have cause to cast a spear against him and his administration.
3. Recently I met with Governor Ortom and we discussed very interesting topics. We talked about the current hardship being experienced by our people, we spoke about the current economic down turn being witnessed by states of the federation. I asked him specifically that if you (Suswam) should return more than 50% of the money Justice Kpojime indicted you and the 51 other persons won’t the state government temper justice with mercy? I was surprised when Ortom said “Armstrong, we have tried so much, we gave Suswam grace period but the period is over now, that notwithstanding if he returns the money now we can still pardon him and appeal to the people of Benue State to consider his pardon too because he is their son.” Dr Suswam sir, why don’t you just kindly return this money and save our people this stress, this hardship and trauma? God Almighty will bless you beyond measure. Why are you inviting the wrath of God upon your life by failing to return the loot?
4. My former Governor sir, I told the world the reason I dumped you, the PDP media team and the Nigerian Concord newspaper recently. Let me summarize it here for you.

“After due and vast consultations with  my family, friends, fans and well wishers I write to inform members of the general public of my decision to  distance myself openly from members of the opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the leader of the party in the state, Rt Hon. Dr Gabriel Torwua Suswam, and the Nigerian Concord newspaper.

The reason for the above decision is borne out of my resolve to support and add my little quota to the progress of Benue state. The interest of Benue State should be paramount and therefore above personal gains.

I know my decision will be greeted by many, especially members of the opposition party, in bad light, that notwithstanding I go ahead to make the decision because of the prevailing circumstances on ground considering how pertinent it has became.

In the last few days I drew the attention of members of the public to the many forgeries of the Nigerian Concord newspaper and the legal implications stipulated in the Penal Code.

From my investigations the PDP,  and the former Governor have strong links with the media outfit hence my decision to part with all of them. I regret that they had sought to ruin my life and future.

I sincerely wish to appreciate my friends and colleagues in the opposition who are yet to realise the sinister assignment they are executing by peddling deliberate falsehood and pray that God will open their eyes to see the truth and change course.

” A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free,” Proverbs 19: 5, NIV”.

Thank you very much for finding time to read this letter even as I get set and prepare for the next edition of “while you left” part 4.

Yours faithfully

Chir Msugh Iorwase Armstrong.