By Ben Atonko
As it increasingly becomes clear that the Benue State political stakeholders will not support Governor Hyacinth Alia for a second term, anxiety mounts as to who is to replace him.
Since assumption of office on May 29, 2023, Alia has not hidden his disdain for key Benue State political actors. In fact, he has pejoratively nicknamed them “ubokoti” meaning people without value or unscrupulous people.
The standoff between the governor and the stakeholders has escalated in the two years of the Alia-led administration becoming more intense and potentially explosive recently.
The situation got to a breaking point when on August 8 the Benue State House of Assembly rejected a letter from the governor requesting the screening and confirmation of commissioner nominees for the state executive council.
Hitherto, the assembly had never been in opposition to the governor.
Citing unresolved issues between the legislature and the executive, the lawmakers lamented that the governor had consistently failed to honour their resolutions and had treated the legislature with what was described as “total disregard”.
As I write this article, Alia has no cabinet, yet he appears unperturbed.
It is a well known fact that Alia started the fight with the political stakeholders for no reason than brazen arrogance and a selfish agenda.
He came into public office clinching onto the biblical saying that a prophet should suffer no harm. He however, does not do as befitting the status of a servant that is of God.
For this, Alia has tremendously lost the goodwill of the Benue State people and a search for his successor in 2027 has begun in earnest.
Never a time has a sitting governor desirous of a second term lost popular support the way Alia has lost in his two years as the Governor of Benue State.
The people could not hold their anger against him when he visited Sankera, North-east Benue State after Fulani terrorists attack in that place in March.
Instead of sympathising with the people in their time of grief, Alia chose to throw jabs at them.
He was so insensitive. At a time he should offer support and condolences, Alia rather mocked the people when they were grieving.
It is this act of his that got the youths frustrated and infuriated, resulting in their stoning him.
Similarly, when over 200 innocent people were gruesomely killed in Yelewata, a village in Guma Local Government Area, only about 30 minutes drive from Makurdi, where the governor resides, it took two days, after a lamentation by the Pope in far away Rome for the governor to visit the place.
A leader who prioritizes politics over people’s well-being loses respect, trust and honour.
A good leader listens to the cries of the vulnerable. He is empathetic, understanding, consoling and caring.
Political stakeholders are individuals, groups, or organizations that have a vested interest in the electoral process and its outcomes. Many of them have been branded enemy of the governor. They are maligned, insulted and denigrated.
Alia was the least among the contenders for the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s governorship ticket in 2022.
However, touted as a cleric who would not toe the line of a typical politician, many stakeholders invested heavily and wholeheartedly in his electioneering, believing that his victory would engender a transformative change for the good of the sate.
There was a general outcry that cutthroat politicians were failing on their campaign promises and pillaging the state so the coming of Alia would comfort the people.
Finally, Alia clinched the APC flag after a hotly contested nomination process.
Thrice, his victory was contested and upturned and a repeat of the primary election ordered by the party honchos.
He triumphed in the repeated process and finally in the court.
It was another task for the stakeholders to ensure that Alia’s votes were not diverted/stolen in the general elections. He emerged victorious and was sworn-in as 6th civilian governor of Benue State.
Immediately Alia entered the Government House in Makurdi, he chose to push a bitter pill down the throat of the stakeholders.
His actions have had a severely negative impact on the stakeholders, potentially threatening their interests, investments and well-being.
The first knock on the head of the stakeholders was his insistence and installation of his lackey as Speaker of the state assembly contrary to the popular choice of the stakeholders.
Second, he chose his cabinet members with scant regard for the interests and wishes of the stakeholders.
Third, he usurped the powers of the party that brought him to power claiming to be the leader of the party in the state and no any other one. He continually boasts about this at public fora.
He went for the jugular of the party leadership in the state, sending away the Benue State APC chairman and putting in his stead his (governor’s) servile follower as APC state chairman. This has led to emergence of two factions of the party in the state — one loyal to the governor, another loyal to the stakeholders.
Even the Catholic Church, the primary constituency of the governor has turned its back on him because of his ways.
All the bishops of the Catholic dioceses in Benue State — Makurdi, Gboko, Katsina-Ala and Otukpo are not with the governor.
He would brook no criticisms. Anything said to correct a wrong act of his administration is viewed as evil and an attack on him.
His cheerleaders are quick to rain insults on anyone who utters no positive words on the governor or his administration.
His supporters are gaslighted into believing that the stakeholders only seek to put their hand in the state’s coffers and the governor’s refusal is the reason for his criticism.
Several efforts to call Alia to order and reconcile him with the stakeholders have been fruitless.
Peace deals midwifed by the traditional institution have ended in a fiasco.
Now it is clear to all that the differences between Alia and the stakeholders are irreconcilable.
He has fallen apart with all the senators, House of Representatives members and state assembly members.
The stakeholders have resolved never to allow Alia enjoy a second term in Benue State. According to them, his being in office beyond 2027 can be terribly injurious to the people.
He is not accountable. He shows no compassion for the people even when they face serious existential threats. And he churns out economic policies that are not sustainable. And he gets all in a huff every time someone makes the slightest criticism of his style of governance.
As another election time approaches, serious underground political moves are ongoing toward bringing in a substitute for Alia.
Many stakeholders have sworn that over their dead body will Alia remain in Government House Makurdi in 2027.
The Chief Priest of the political stakeholders is the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume.
For his penchant for springing up surprises in the political permutations, the stakeholders are waiting anxiously, diligently reading Akume’s lips to see who the anointed will be.
But the chief priest himself has not come out openly to say anything.
Guesses are continuously made.
The stakeholders are still guessing, wishing that their grandmaster calls a name quickly to douse their anxiety.
Atonko is a political analyst.