DAVID SEVAV: CELEBRATING TOR SANKERA II
After the death of His Royal Highness Abu King Shuluwa, the first Tor Sankera, the stool became vacant, and the area experienced a brief interregnum without a first-class chief who would preside over the traditional affairs of the Sankera intermediate area of Benue state.
The Tiv Traditional Council and the Tor Tiv, Prof. James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse recently threw the door open for the race for a new Tor Sankera. This attracted several candidates for the stool. But, on the 12th March, 2025 at the Katsina-Ala Local Government Secretariat, a former Executive Chairman of Ukum Local Government Council, Hon. David Sevav, floored the other contenders to emerge as the new Tor Sankera.
The Transmitter gathered that Chief Sevav who won the stool, defeated the main contenders, Dr. Tiza Suswam and Dr. Thomas Mlanga. A review of the process shows the scores for each candidate as follows:
Hon. David Sevav – 38
Dr. Tiza Suswam – 4
Hon Thomas Mlanga- 1
Invalid vote – 1
The panel that superintended the process was led by the Advisor to the Governor of Benue State on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon. Denen Aondoakaa and the Secretary, Tiv Traditional Council, Mr. Tyozua Shinyi. The panel for the selection comprised second-class traditional rulers, third-class traditional rulers and district heads from Katsina-Ala, Ukum, and Logo Local Government Areas.
It would be recalled that Governor Hyacinth Alia recently during the one-year remembrance of HRH Abu King Shuluwa of Blessed memory, expressed his desire that “…the new Tor Sankera must be a man of integrity, a man of the people, someone who is friendly, someone who calls a spade a spade, and someone who is willing to take a bullet for the people of Sankera.”
The above criteria fit His Royal Highness David Sevav, who has established himself as a very efficient and effective administrator, someone who created a vast network of admirers during his service career. A man with a gifted way of resolving very complicated issues to the satisfaction of everyone.
For many years now, the Sankera intermediate area of Tiv land had continued to slid into anarchy as terrorists, marauding herdsmen and kidnappers took over the once most peaceful and economically viable area in Benue state, draining it of its human and financial resources. With Chief David Sevav on the throne, The Transmitter hopes that the people will rejoice that a good man is on the throne who will contribute to the on-going efforts in bringing the much-needed peace to the area. David Sevav is a Christian of the Catholic faith and is happily married and is blessed with children.
