AIYA President Slams Planned APC Youth Forum in Agatu, Cites Broken Covenant Over Oloche Silas
*AGATU, BENUE* — The Convener and Interim National President of the Agatu Indigenous Youth Association (AIYA), Comr Ochokwunu Daniel Edor, has expressed deep disappointment over plans by some Agatu youth to hold an APC youth forum inauguration in the local government area, despite an earlier collective resolution against political gatherings.
In a statement released Wednesday, Edor said the decision contradicts a united stand taken by the Agatu people a few days ago: *“NO POLITICAL GATHERING IN AGATU UNTIL OLOCHE SILAS IS BROUGHT HOME.”* He described the resolution as “a covenant, a line in the sand drawn with the blood of our brothers and sisters in Odugbeho and Olegabulu.”
“It was a statement that the life of one Agatu son matters more than any campaign, any party, any podium,” he stated.
Edor questioned the timing of the planned event, pointing out that Oloche Silas remains missing, military personnel are still stationed in the area, and security has not been restored. “The answer is NO,” he said, referring to whether the demands of the people have been met.
He warned that going ahead with the gathering undermines the collective voice of Agatu and signals to the rest of Nigeria that the community’s pain is negotiable. “To go ahead with this gathering is to spit on the graves of those killed in Odugbeho. It is to betray the families in Olegabulu who waited in vain for military rescue,” he said.
The AIYA leader emphasized that the “NO CAMPAIGN WITHOUT THE FACE OF OLOCHE SILAS” declaration was meant to ensure no politician or group uses Agatu as a political stage while residents remain unsafe and the missing youth remains unaccounted for.
“A people without memory have no future,” Edor cautioned, urging the youth to pause and reflect. “Stand with Agatu first. Stand with Oloche Silas first. Politics will always be there. But if we lose our dignity and our lives now, there may be no Agatu left to do politics in.”
He concluded by reminding the youth that “the eyes of our people are on you. Do not let them down.”
The statement comes amid heightened tensions in Agatu LGA following recent killings and demands for the withdrawal of Operation Whirl Stroke personnel over alleged inefficiency and compromise.