Politics

Benue: Rev. Fr. Gov-elect Breaks Silence After Guber Victory, Promises New Dawn

Published

3 years ago

March 21, 2023

The Governor- elect of Benue state, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has described his victory in the Saturday’s gubernatorial election as remarkable and historic.

The Catholic Priest, in his victory speech at his Makurdi residence, shortly after being declared winner of the polls Monday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, acknowledged the enormous support he got from the people to emerge victorious promising to meet the expectations of the people.

He said, “The long and anxious wait for the results to be officially declared is over; we can now roll out the drums in celebration of this great victory.

“I recognize what an enormous privilege and honor it is to be trusted with the government of the State especially at this time and am deeply conscious of it. I would like to say that God does not call the qualified! He qualifies the called.

“I may not be the most qualified Benue son to lead the State at this time but the Good Lord who has called me will qualify me.

“Never in my life have I seen a people express their desires and wishes so passionately as I saw from you in this election.

“The volunteers who came together under various support groups; those who travelled to all nooks and crannies of our State to knock on doors; the poll watchers who stayed vigilant to ensure that our votes were counted; every one of you. You all are the true heroes of this victory, and your names will be written in gold in the annals of our State.

“It has been a remarkable and historic victory for our Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). I am in no doubt at all about the enormity of the challenges that lie ahead and what this victory means in the face of these challenges.

“My dear people, this victory belongs to you. It belongs to all of you who thirst for the dividends of democracy. And by this victory, the liberation we have all yearned for is at hand.

“Change is coming to Benue State. I take this opportunity to appreciate the Leader of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue state, Senator Dr George Akume, who has remained strong like the Rock of Gibraltar and guided us along the path to this happy moment.

“I appreciate the State Working Committee of the Party under the leadership of the ebullient Comrade Austin Agada, as well as the other organs and critical stakeholders of the Party for their resilience and resourcefulness.

“I doff my hat for the most hardworking and ingenious campaign team ever assembled in the political history of Benue State led by the Director General, Rev. Dr. Frederick Ikyaan. They represent the building blocks to this victory.

“I am grateful for the friendship and support of my running mate, Barr. Sam Ode. He has worked so hard on the campaign trail, and I look forward to fruitful collaboration with him in Government House.

“I would like to congratulate my opponents from the other parties for making it an interesting contest. But the anxious period of politicking is over. Now is the time to unite and face the challenges of development.

“Our State, Benue, needs a total reset. Governance in our State has hit a historic low. This election is a mandate to reform and recalibrate governance in Benue.

“We need all hands, all good and ready hands, to be on deck. We need men and women whom the spoils of office cannot buy. We need all who believe that a new
Benue is possible.

“I believe there is an even greater obligation on me, in fact on us all, to tell the Benue people very clearly the difficult choices and challenges that we face and how we will work our way through them.

“We will clear the backlog of arrears of salaries, and pensions and gratuities, resettle our IDPs in their ancestral homes, address persistent insecurity challenges and set the stage for a prosperous Benue.

“We need to set the foundations for a strong economy. And on top of
that, we need to start building an economy of the future based on skills and talents and education and the application of technology; knowing that the forces of global competition and technology mean that we can only compete based on skills and talents. Let us unlock our wealth!

“My fellow citizens, a new Benue is possible, and I enjoin all of you to join hands with me to make it a reality.

“Let us begin by embracing a new way of thinking and action – by cultivating a new ethos that expresses the best of us, that brings forth our better angels and not our worst demons.

“The smallness of unending political recriminations and willful economic sabotage must give way to accommodation and the pursuit of loftierideals.

“There is a lot we can achieve through consensus and synergy. Our points of difference cannot be greater than the things that unite us.

“Let us resolve, walk and work together as one people united by a common destiny. We the people of Benue, through this victory, have taken a new step in a new direction.

“We have voted to realize the vision of our founding fathers, the vision of a peaceful and buoyant society where both indigene and settler, the rich and the not-so-rich will engage in the pursuit of happiness unhindered.

“We have voted to defeat the politics of backwardness, hate and division, in preference for a social contract that enhances our common brotherhood and adds value to lives.

“Let the word go out to the wretched of the earth in our hinterlands – the poor farmer in Sankera, the palm wine tapper in Otukpa, the petty trader at Abinsi, the rice farmer in Gwer-West, and the artisan in Gboko, that through this election, a new dawn has broken in Benue – a new dawn of equal opportunity and shared prosperity.

“And let the word go out to all the ends of the earth, that a people, through this election, have risen from the ashes of deprivation and depression and are marching in lockstep towards their rightful place in the hall of greatness.

“As we get set to begin the arduous task of rebuilding our state, May the God of all Goodness, who has answered our cry for freedom today, fortify us with the strength and wisdom to succeed.”

Politics

Obasanjo, Atiku, Obi Meet In Abuja

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi met in Abuja on Saturday.

The trio were among prominent political figures who attended the Tambuwal Colloquium, titled “Leadership, Service and Statesmanship at 60,” held at the New Event Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, in honour of the 60th birthday of former Sokoto State Governor and Senator, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

Atiku confirmed his presence at the event in a post on his X handle, stating that he had arrived at the venue for the colloquium organised to mark Tambuwal’s milestone birthday.

The former vice president also shared images of himself, Obasanjo and Obi at the event.

The event attracted political leaders, statesmen and stakeholders from across the country.

Politics

PANDEF Wades Into Rivers Crisis, Sets Up Seven-member Mediation Team

Published

2 days ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has intervened in the political crisis in Rivers State, calling on all actors to sheathe their swords and embrace peace in the interest of the development of the state and the region in general.

Expressing concern that the political disagreement involving the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly might degenerate to total lawlessness, the Board and National Executive Committee of PANDEF set up a seven-member reconciliation team to resolve the issues.

The team, which is headed by a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi, has six other members.

They are Senator Obende Domingo (Vice Chairman); Chief Essien Nduese; Dr Timiebi Koripamo-Agari; Chief Mike Ejiofor; Mrs Nella Rabana-Andem, SAN; and Prince Godwin Okotie, the Deputy National Secretary of PANDEF, who will serve as the secretary of the team.

Politics

Wike: Why Removing Fubara Will Be Difficult – Ex-Commissioner

Published

3 days ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

A former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Austin Tam-George, has said that attempts to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara would be difficult to sustain, citing what he described as the governor’s performance record and the lack of concrete allegations against him.

Tam-George made the remarks on Thursday while speaking on Prime Time on Arise Television, arguing that the impeachment process being initiated against Fubara was to scuttle his chance for a second term.

According to him, Governor Fubara has continued to place the needs of the people at the centre of his administration, with visible interventions in rural development, housing, education and healthcare.

He said this, in his view, has made it difficult for opponents to justify moves to remove the governor from office.

Tam-George also called on the All Progressives Congress, APC, to intervene, arguing that the party should not allow what he described as the humiliation of a sitting governor.

He said: “Well, all I think he needs to do is to do exactly what he’s been doing from the beginning, which is to place the people at the center of gravity of his administration, prioritize the needs of the people, so that the people can see the direct impact of government action in their lives.

“And that’s exactly what he’s doing in terms of rural development, in terms of housing sector transformation, which I mentioned that he is doing the same in education sector and in health.

“So if he continues, if he persists in placing the people’s need at the center of focus of his administration, there is no way they are going to be able to justify this kind of shenanigans.

“Because, if you look very carefully at the so called articles of impeachment, you will see that there is no specificity in terms of any infraction by the governor or his deputy.

“What they are trying to do is to make sure they scuttle the administration so that the governor doesn’t then get to the point where he will be seeking a second term.

“Let me be clear, just two days ago, Nyesom Wike was at one of the local governments, and he made it clear in a moment of epiphany, he made it clear that, look, if Governor Fubara were to get a second term in office, it will amount to his own political burial.

“So all of these things that we are seeing the so called impeachment proceedings they’ve initiated, it’s actually an effort to try to scuttle the prospects of the governor coming for a second term, and I don’t see how they will succeed.

“If you look at the so called articles of impeachment, as I said, they lack specificity in terms of the kind of infraction that they allege that the governor has committed. He has done nothing wrong, and they will see how the process will play out.

“My sense, and in fact, if I were to advise the governor, my sense is that he should just maintain the people, retain the people at the center of gravity of his administration, meet their needs, run a transparent administration as he always done, and then the truth will come out, and he will be able to defend the administration.

“I think the the governing APC should also step in because they can’t possibly allow the governor of the office with probably one of the best performance records in the country to be humiliated by some of these members of the assembly.”