A priest, his godfather and mammon of Benue politics

Battle for the control of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State and the traditional sharing of proceeds have come in between Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume. Despite efforts to broker a truce, the ‘unholy’ alliance is taking its toll on the business of governance in the troubled state, ADAMU ABUH and SAMSON
KUKWA-YANOR report.

The citizenry in Benue State, in dire need of good governance, heaved a sigh of relief following the rapprochement between Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, recently. But how long will the rapprochement last with subtle moves by the political gladiators to control the soul of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state?

At the centre of the quarrel between the party leaders is the sharing of spoils of victory after APC unseated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 poll. Until now, both of them were political friends, indeed, Akume was believed to have facilitated Father Alia’s emergence as APC governorship candidate and his subsequent winning of the election.

While the governor was accused of ignoring the inputs of Akume’s loyalists in the appointments of commissioners and local government caretaker committees, Alia’s loyalists found fault in Akume for unilaterally influencing the appointment of his stooges into juicy federal government positions without consulting him.

But with frequent herders-farmers clashes and other rising crimes in the state, the duo whose followers have been at each other’s neck agreed to sheath their swords and work together for the interest of peace and development of the state.

The peace deal brokered by the paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, His Royal Majesty, Professor James Ortese lorzua Ayatse, in Gboko, was witnessed by some top members of APC, including Senators Jacob Tilley Gyado, Barnabas Gemade, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation Prof. Joseph Utsev, among others.

However, the recent alleged attempt to assassinate the spokesperson of the Benue State caucus in the National Assembly, Philip Agbese, who is of the Idoma ethnic extraction, casts doubt on the commitment of the warring groups to the peace deal. In fact, some government functionaries were being alleged as masterminds of the dastard act.

The peace deal came barely a week after Governor Alia swore that he would not be distracted from living up to his electoral promises despite the antics of his traducers in the state.

Governor Alia, while breaking Ramadan fast with the Muslim faithful in Makurdi, lamented that he was being frustrated from lifting Benue State out of the ranks of the least-developed states in the northern part of the country.

He said: “Out of the 19 northern states, Benue is one of the very least developed. It is just now that we are even installing solar streetlights. As we started work, hyenas came out to bite. They are demanding that we should not construct roads, build schools, pay salaries and provide street lights and I am saying: ‘no’. The poor masses of Benue voted for me in an unprecedented manner. It is better that I work for the masses.”

The governor’s frustration was understandable and had come under scathing criticism from Akume’s loyalists that are dissatisfied with his style of governance.

In the ensuing mudslinging and attacks, top functionaries of his government were dragged to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Department of State Security services (DSS) over alleged abuse of office and pilferage of public funds.

One of the petitioners, Gideon Gbaor, purportedly working in tandem with Akume’s loyalists alleged that contracts to the tune of over N46 billion within four months of Alia’s administration were in clear breach of the state fiscal, transparency, accountability and sustainability (SFTAS) law.

The petitioner alleged that the projects, which include the construction of 16 township roads in Makurdi were overvalued and used as conduit pipes to siphon the state fund.

In a retaliatory move, governor’s supporters under the aegis of Zone A Voters League (ZAVL) led by Pastor Saater Akaa, and six others threatened to commence the recall process on Senator Emmanuel Udende, representing Benue North East senatorial district.

The group alleged Udende’s inability to render an account of the over N200 million given to him for onward distribution to his constituents as the reason for their planned action.

Another support group of Fr Alia, Benue Development Coalition led by Dr Peter Gwa, went further to draw the attention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the alleged plot by Akume supporters to unleash mayhem in the state under the cover of the recurring farmers/herders clash in the state.

The governor, who is bent on taking control of the APC structure in the state from Akume, is allegedly doing all that is possible to install his preferred candidate, Benjamin Omakolo, against Austin Agada, the substantive chairman of the party in the state.

It is unclear whether the effort by the Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to resolve the crisis would yield any result as the Omakolo faction of the party whose office is close to the Government House in Makurdi enjoys the patronage of Governor Alia’s aides.

The face-off between the governor and SGF manifested during the contest for the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly zoned to the Jembagh block, in the Benue North Senatorial zone where Akume hails from. Contrary to expectations, APC did not present a common candidate as Ms Beckie Orpin and Aondona Dajoh, who owe their loyalties to the different tendencies went into a keen contest.

Governor Alia was said to have connived with former Governor Gabriel Suswam of PDP to produce Dajoh as the Speaker and principal officers of the House of Assembly after a midnight meeting with Suswam, where it was agreed that 10 of the PDP members in the House of Assembly align with seven recalcitrant APC members to beat Orpin by the margin of the votes.

Recall that Senator Titus Zam, one of the arrowheads of the Benue caucus in support of Akume, described Fr Alia, who joined APC barely two months before the governorship primaries last year, as an “ingrate”, saying he didn’t have regard for the painstaking and systematic efforts of the subsisting formidable political structure, which has enthroned all the governors in the state before him.

He said: “The question begging for answer 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?” he queried at a press conference held at the National Assembly complex last year.

“He has assumed the posture of a conqueror that does not care about the welfare, or status of National Assembly members in his leadership of Benue State. In every state of the federation, members of NASS are working in synergy with their governors to attract development from the centre to their state of origin.

“Governor Alia has no single known developmental blueprint for Benue State. As at the moment, nobody in Benue State is aware of the direction of his administration. What he practices is personal rule and this is replicated by the lopsided appointment he has made in the state so far, with his immediate community of Kunav cornering all the strategic positions in government.”

On the implication of the alleged undemocratic rule of the governor in the state, he stated that “the grave consequence is that the generality of APC members who are excluded and abandoned are beginning to lose faith in the APC-led administration in Benue State.”

But the governor through his media aide, Tersoo Kula, accused his opponents of not having the interest of the state at heart, adding that it was “worrisome that this group of stakeholders have stood in the way of Benue progress for a long time, preferring party politics to governance, such that once elections are over, they would distract the winners until they are frustrated to leave the party and pave way for them to start feasting on new aspirants.

“It was the same group that saw Governor Alia as the only Messiah to give them victory in 2023 with the majority of them clinging onto his effect and popularity to win their elections.

“Despite these series of distractions and unfounded allegations, the Alia administration has a pact, first with the Benue masses who happily voted him to power and the administration is doing its best to fulfil the yearnings of the people who are daily, passing a vote of confidence in the governor and his government,” he stressed.

Ironically, both the SGF and the governor are still popular with the people in their own right.

Akume at the national level has been able to attract to the state the much-starved federal government presence. It has been decades since the federal government constructed a single road in Benue State.

In less than one year, there have been approvals for the construction of the Makurdi-Aliade- Enugu Road, the construction of an overhead bridge at Wurukum, the construction of the Yandev-Ugbema-Katsina-Ala Road and the flagging-off of the construction of the bridge across river Katsina-Ala at the Buruku crossing point.

On the other hand, Benue people are also thrilled by the performance of Governor Alia so far. He has brought a sense of purpose into governance not witnessed for a long time. He pays salaries as and when due. Though, he has not categorically given a specific amount as the state’s wage bill, the common consensus of the people that about N7.8 billion wage bill bandied by his predecessor in office, Samuel Ortom, as the reason for his inability to pay salaries and pension was ridiculous and this has further endeared him to the people. He also embarked on many people-oriented projects across the state.

But many party faithful in the state said that Fr Alia and Akume working in harmony will help the state in achieving sustainable development, which has eluded them for over a decade.