Political Parties Accuse Benue Governor Alia of Authoritarian Rule, Ask Tinubu to Intervene
- The Coalition of Political Parties in Benue State and IPAC criticised Governor Hyacinth Alia's administration as authoritarian and anti-democratic, calling it the worst since 1999
- The parties accused the governor of corruption, neglecting security, ignoring due process, and violating human rights, citing deteriorating security, undisclosed financial details, etc
- They urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene to address these issues and restore democratic norms in Benue state
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Legit.ng journalist Nurudeen Lawal has 8 years of experience covering political campaigns and elections
FCT, Abuja—The Coalition of Political Parties in Benue state and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) have raised alarm over Reverend Father Alia's authoritarian rule and anti-democratic policies as the state governor.
The group released its one-year assessment report on Governor Hyacinth Alia's administration in Abuja on Thursday, May 23. In it, it described Alia's administration as the worst since the return of democracy in 1999.
Source: UGC
A statement made available to Legit.ng indicates that the parties are the Accord Party, APGA, Zenith Labour Party, Boot, APM, NRM, APP, ADC, and the NNPP.
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Allegations against Governor Alia
Tor Aondofa Paul of the National Rescue Movement, Simon Ogbe of the Zenith Labour Party and Bishop Benson Ijachi of the Accord Party, who addressed the media, said the governor has failed in security, transparency and accountability.
They further lamented that the administration has become synonymous with corruption, disregard for the rule of law, unfulfilled promises, abuse of office as well as thuggery.
"We all know that the primary responsibility of every government is the protection of lives and property. Since Governor Alia assumed power, the security situation in Benue State has deteriorated as compared to how it has been in the last four years. Since he assumed office, no single operational vehicle has been bought for the security agents in Benue state to support their operations in the state," the statement read.
"We have witnessed a massive influx of cows and armed Fulani herdsmen in the state despite the existence of the law prohibiting open Grazing in Benue State. These herdsmen are complicit in the renewed insecurity in the state as they have been fingered in several killings and attacks on innocent Benue people in Guma, Logo, Gwer-Wesr, Makurdi, Otukpo, Agatu, Apa, Gwer-East, Kwande, Ukum and Ado local government areas of the state. Just a few weeks ago the chief of staff to former governor Samuel Ortom, Pastor Terwase Orbunde was attacked on his farm along the Welfare quarters - Mobile Police barracks road in the heart of Makurdi. While Orbunde survived the attack with bullet wounds, his wife and house help were kidnapped. They were only released a few days later after a ransom was paid to the herders."
Gov Alia's scorecard on corruption, others
Meanwhile, the political party group added that the Alia administration allegedly ignored due process and the rule of law, awarding an N6 billion contract without an executive council and exceeding the governor’s approval limit.
According to them, the contracts were not approved by the previous executive council or included in the 2023 budget.
On transparency, they said the Benue governor had not disclosed the state's wage bill, revenue details, or federal palliatives, revealing the latter only after opposition pressure.
Governor Alia was also accused of ignoring a court order by replacing elected local government chairmen with a caretaker committee.
According to the statement, the Benue state governor failed to return Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their homes and clear salary and pension arrears as promised within 100 days of taking office, Nigerian Tribune also reported.
The Alia administration was also accused of suppressing freedom of speech, threatening fundamental rights, and limiting press freedom.
Governor Alia was reported to have banned political gatherings, particularly affecting his opponents and members of his party, the ruling APC, loyal to Senator George Akume, who is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Benue: President Tinubu asked to intervene
Also accusing Governor Alia's administration of "reintroducing thuggery in the state under the guise of Benue State Central Youths," the parties asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene.
According to them, President Tinubu should "beam his searchlight on the state of the affairs in Benue state and intervene to curtail the executive rascality, corruption, abuse of the fundamental rights of Benue citizens, total disregard of the rule of law and all the anti-democratic tendencies of the Alia administration."
Lawmaker blasts Alia for receiving award
In another report, Hon. Philip Agbese, the deputy spokesman of the House of Representatives, recently criticised Governor Alia for allegedly seeking validation through awards, labelling him as a" narcissistic public officer".
Agbese spoke after the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) gave the Benue state governor the Good Governance award.
The lawmaker also condemned the governor's alleged neglect of the Benue South senatorial district amidst ongoing violence.
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Source: Legit.ng
