2023: You Don’t Have Pedigree to Govern Benue State, Ortom’s Aide Lambastes APC Candidate Alia

• Terver Akase, the special adviser on media to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state, has said that the APC governorship candidate in the 2023 election in the state does not have credible credentials
• The governor's spokesperson and a PDP stalwart in the state described Hyacienth Alia, the APC governorship flagbearer in Benue state, as a physician who needs to be treated
• Akase said the church is not only to heal the masses but also to build human capability but Alia has not done anything in this regard

Governor Samuel Ortom’s special adviser on media, Terver Akase, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC)'s governorship candidate, Rev Fr. Hyacienth Alia's case is a case of "physician heal thyself first.’’

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According to him, the Reverend Father does not have the track record to show that he is competent to govern the state.

Akase in an exclusive chat with Legit.ng said:

“A physician has to first heal himself. He has to heal himself first. He needs to show us his track record of development. If you say you have all it takes to develop the state, then you need to show us the track record of what you have done from where you are coming from.

“You have to have that track record of development. He has no such record. He doesn't have it. We challenged him the other day to show us his track record. What did you do in terms of development?”

Church not only for healing masses - Akase

Akase said the church is not only about healing the masses but an institution that believes in developing human capital for the state.

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Akase queries why Alia had done nothing in his capacity as a parish priest prior to his campaign and has nothing to prove to the Benue people that he could deliver the dividends of democracy to them.

He said:

“The church is not only about healing masses. The church is an institution that believes in developing human capital for the state. That is why the church like the Catholic church in particular is known for building hospitals, building schools, and other development projects for the society.

“I graduated from a Catholic primary school. So you have to have that track record of development. When he was a parish priest, he has no known record of building even one toilet. So such a person doesn't have the credentials of development. The church is not only about prayers and healing masses. The church develops the society. Anywhere you find the church, you find development. When the missionaries came, they developed our society, they developed our community.”

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How missionaries built schools, hospitals - Akase

Akase recalled how the missionaries built schools and hospitals, and when they were leaving, they handed those facilities to their African colleagues who succeeded them.

He said:

“Many of the African priests, many of the Nigerian priests and many of the Benue priests who took over from the missionaries have done really well, but he, Alia doesn't have such a record of development anywhere. If he has, let him bring it to the public, let us see it. So he doesn't have it. He doesn't have what it takes to develop even a local government.”

Alia not in the equation - Akase

He advised that instead of talking about Alia, people should be talking about other people who have what it takes to govern the state.

Fr Alia and his supporters’ belief

Fr. Alia, a catholic priest, is running for the office of the governorship of the state under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

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Alia believes he is the Messiah who has come to rescue the Benue people, and most of his supporters believe so.

His supporters believe that Benue under Governor Samuel Ortom had done little or nothing for the people; hence he has come as the rescuer. But there are allegations that the primary election held to elect Alia was a ‘yahoo yahoo’ one; hence a faction of the APC is currently in court.

Also in court is the PDP questioning the primary that made Alia the APC candidate.

PDP reacts as court nullifies governorship primaries in strong northern state, discloses next move

Legit.ng earlier reported that the PDP said it has assembled lawyers to look into the decision of a federal high court that nullified the party's governorship primaries in Zamfara

The umbrella party said it has accepted the court's judgment, but its lawyers would determine the next action to the taken

Justice Aminu Bappa-Aliyu, in a 109 pages document, nullified the primaries and ordered the PDP to conduct another primary immediately

Source: Legit.ng