Hyacinth Alia, a “suspended” priest in the Catholic Diocese of Gboko, Benue State, has emerged the winner of the just-concluded All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary election in Benue state, setting the stage for gritty governorship contest in 2023.
Watchers of the Benue political development said that with the popularity of Alia and the acceptability by a vast majority of the people especially the Tiv, a tough mission is ahead of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to retain power in the State.
Alia is coming into the fray on a rescue mission and he is likely going to coast to victory in 2023 just like Rev Father Moses Orshio Adasu did in the ill-fated Third Republic about 30 years ago on the the platform of the defunct Social Democratic Party.
It would be recalled that Alia was “suspended: by the church after he joined the governorship race and picked the nomination forms of the ruling party.
The priest was relieved of his duties temporarily on the grounds of the canon laws of the Catholic church which condemned participation in partisan politics.
Alia was declared the winner of the primary election after polling a high number of votes to defeat his opponents.
Alias defeated Barnabas Gemade, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; and Mike Aondoakaa, a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
The priest polled over 7,000 votes to clinch the party’s ticket in the direct primary election which took place across the state on Friday.
Credit: The Conclave