The Benue State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has dismissed the petition written to Pope Leo XIV by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 general elections in the state, Joseph Waya, alleging misconduct against his person and administration.
Waya had in a petition routed through the Apostolic Nuncio, representing the Holy See in Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty and copied to some Catholic bishops, alleged that Alia had through his actions in office brought the Catholic Church in Nigeria to disrepute.
But the governor in a statement by his chief press secretary, Tersoo Kula, said the petition was built on gossip and personal bitterness, and needs not be given any response.
He urged the public to disregard the petition as a product of frustration and continue supporting the administration’s efforts to reposition Benue on the path of progress.
“A glance at the allegations put forward by this aggrieved politician indicated their lack of credibility. For a matter as serious as financial misconduct, it is amusing that the petitioner chooses to rely on “Zebra Reporters”, an online blog, when the proper authorities to make such findings should be the auditor-general’s reports, budget performance documents, and anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC.
“In Waya’s wild goose-chase petition, none of these institutions is referenced as having indicted the governor. Therefore, it is not out of place to view his petition as the product of hearsay and personal opinion, which naturally collapses under the weight of its own contradictions when tested against facts and logic.
“Furthermore, the claim that there are no meaningful projects on the ground is a complete misrepresentation of reality as the Alia administration has executed numerous people -oriented projects within just two years,” the statement reads in parts,” the statement said.
It noted that Waya’s petition exposed him as one who had completely lost touch with the prevailing realities of his state and community.
