Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, on Sunday expressed his unwavering loyalty to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and debunked claims of collaborating with the opposition in the State.
His statement was conveyed through his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, and released to the press in Makurdi on Sunday.
He denied the claims, emphasizing his deep attachment to the APC, particularly the Benue chapter, and asserted his diligent efforts aimed at upholding the party’s integrity.
“This unsubstantiated claim further exposes a desperate inclination on the part of the fabricators. Rather than relying on concrete facts, they keep cooking media statements from rumours, trivial gossip, and their whimsical imaginations,” Alia said.
Clarifying that he remains devoted to the Party’s cause, he said: “A particularly absurd claim says there is a formation and funding of a committee headed by retired Gen. Lawrence Onoja and Mr Emmanuel Jime, supposedly tasked to misinform the Presidency and National Secretariat about the situation in Benue.
“That committee is also expected to spread falsehoods against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
“As a governor, l am determined to fulfill my campaign promises to Benue people.
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“My continued funding of our party activities and expanding its stakeholders meetings in the state are eloquent testimonies of how I hold the party so dear to my heart,” the Governor said.
Meanwhile, immediate past Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Emmanuel Jime, says Alia has not appointed anyone to speak on his behalf in the Presidential Villa.
He was reacting to allegations made in a statement by the state’s party zonal chairmen that he was part of a five-man committee recruited by Alia to misrepresent the Benue APC in Aso Rock Villa and the National Secretariat.
Jime stated that people making the claim were unaware of how democracy works at the executive level.
According to him, a sitting governor always has direct communication with the President because he is the chief security officer as well as the state party leader, and so does not need anyone to speak for him.
“The tragedy of our democratic experiment so far is that most of us see politics as a meal ticket. Whenever an elected official chooses the path to real development, you will have the stomach infrastructure politicians attempting the distraction strategy.
“Benue is in dire need of a development agenda and the governor appears to be focused on this. All men and women of goodwill must join in this all-important endeavor,” Jime noted.
