Gov Alia Running Benue Like Parish – APC Lawmakers Cry To Tinubu

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The National Assembly caucus from Benue State, under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, on Thursday, came hard on the Governor of the State, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia.

They accused the governor of running the state government like a parish.

The lawmakers, at a press briefing in Abuja, called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, to quickly prevail on the Governor, before he runs the state aground.

According to them, Alia’s tendencies could cost the party a defeat in subsequent elections in the state if he was not quickly called to order.

The text of the press conference was read by the leader of the caucus and Senator representing Benue North West, Senator Titus Zam.

He disclosed that the matter had been reported severally to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, who has been mediating to see that things were normalised.

“We the undersigned are members of the National Assembly Caucus elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform from Benue State.

“Having watched with apprehension the absence of democratic leadership in Benue State in the last six (6) months exemplified by the arrogant and egocentric conduct of Governor Hyacinth Alia, we have decided to draw the attention of Mr President and other leaders of APC in Nigeria to seek their immediate intervention before the fortunes of APC in Benue State are totally destroyed”, the caucus said.

They further disclosed that “from the onset, we have collectively and individually drawn the attention of the leader of the APC in Benue, Sen. Dr. George Akume Secretary to the Government of the Federation who has on several occasions pleaded for patience from us in the anticipation of a possible change of attitude from His Excellency Governor Hyacinth Alia, rather than change for the better.

“Governor Alia has become more emboldened and has continued to treat us and the party in general in the most disgusting, disrespectful and disingenuous manner.

“Fr. Alia only came to reap where he did not sow. In any case, you are well aware of the rejection his candidacy received from older members of the party, including litigations in several courts of law up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, it took the strident support of Sen. Dr. George Akume to extricate his candidacy from the destructive grip of his co-aspirants and eventual victory at the polls.

“Today, the ungrateful Fr. Alia, who had barely joined APC two months before the governorship primaries assumes a messianic posture and tend to appropriate the victory of APC in Benue State as a product of his so-called popularity, without regard to the painstaking and systematic efforts of the subsisting formidable political structure which has enthroned all the governors in the State before him.

“The question begging for answers is: why did the self-acclaimed popular priest not contest on the platform of either APGA, PDP or other smaller political parties in Benue State?
“For clarity’s sake, let us contextualise some of the dictatorial and egocentric tendencies of Governor Alia and his poor treatment of Benue APC in the last six (6) months of his administration in Benue State.

“The election of the speaker of Benue House of Assembly: The position of the speaker was zoned to the Jembagh bloc of Benue North West Senatorial District, coincidentally the birthplace of the SGF, Sen. Dr. George Akume, whereas APC has 22 members out of a total of 32 members of the Assembly.

“Governor Alia connived with former Governor Gabriel Suswam of PDP to produce a speaker different from the candidate preferred by APC. In the contest for the position of the Speaker, Governor Alia held midnight meetings at the residence of Sen. Gabriel Suswam and got ten (10) PDP members to align with 7 recalcitrant APC members to beat the APC preferred candidate by the margin of 2 votes, thus began his unholy alliance with PDP to undermine and maltreat the legitimate members of APC in Benue State.

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