Benue: NASS Caucus Urges Tinubu To Intervene In Brewing APC Impasse

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Caucus in the National Assembly has called on President Bola Tinubu and other leaders to immediately intervene before the party’s fortunes would be destroyed under the Governor, Rev. Fr Hyacinth Alia.

The caucus made the call while addressing journalists after their end of year retreat in the National Assembly Complex, Abuja yesterday.

Those at the briefing include Sen. Titus Zam, Benue North-West/leader; Sen. Emmanuel Udende, Benue North-East; Hon. Dickson Tarkighir, Makurdi/Guma Federal; Hon. Philip Agbese, Ado/Ogbadibo, Okpoku; Hon. Terseer Ugbor, Kwande/Ushongo; Hon. Austin Achado, Gwer-East/Gwer-West;

Hon. Sekav Iyortyom, Buruku and Hon. Sesoo Ikpagher, Konshisha/ Vandeikya.

Leader of the Caucus, Sen. Zam who alleged that Alia was displaying dictatorial tendencies, said they have called the attention of the party’s leader and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume but he sought for their patience but that is emboldening the Governor.

“We the undersigned are members of the National Assembly Caucus elected on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform from Benue State. Having watched with apprehension the absence of democratic leadership in Benue State in the last six months exemplified by the arrogant and egocentric conduct of Governor Hyacinth Alia, we have decided to draw the attention of Mr President and other leaders of APC in Nigeria to seek their immediate intervention before the fortunes of APC in Benue State are totally destroyed.

“It is necessary to state from the onset that, we have collectively and individually drawn the attention of the leader of the APC in Benue, Sen. Dr. George Akume Secretary to the Government of the Federation who has on several occasions pleaded for patience from us in the anticipation of a possible change of attitude from His Excellency Governor Hyacinth Alia, rather than change for the better. 

“Governor Alia has become more emboldened and has continued to treat us and the party in general in the most disgusting, disrespectful and disingenuous manner.

“Gentlemen of the Press, a background information on the status of APC in Benue State could be relevant at this juncture, Benue State APC, under the leadership of Sen. Dr George Akume as two terms former Governor of Benue, 3 times Senator, Minister and now secretary to the Government of the Federation had won elections and taken over power in 2015 after President Tinubu alongside other Nigerians formed the party in 2014.

“Unfortunately, the then Governor His Excellency Samuel Ortom betrayed the Party and defected to the PDP, thus opening the chapter of a temporary set -back for APC in Benue State. Not daunted, the Benue APC under the leadership of Senator Dr. George Akume undertook a purposeful re-engineering of the Benue political landscape to reclaim her stolen mandate and return the State to the mainstream progressive politics in Nigeria. It is the now stronger APC that attracted Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia to desperately seek election on the Party’s platform,” he said.

Zam also stated that Fr Alia only came to reap where he did not sow, saying his candidacy received rejection from older members of the party who felt aggrieved and resorted to stand by the advice of the leader of the party Sen. Akume whose counsel has always been for the party to keep praying for the governor to succeed.

“In the first meeting of the stakeholders that was held in government house the chairman of the party Comrade Austine Agada publicly went on his knees took all the blames even though there was no blame and apologized to the governor and party members requesting they put behind the State Assembly imbroglio and come together to save the party, in the meeting, the governor praised the leader of the party with promise to always work together so that Benue and the party will enjoy democratic dividends. 

“He also pledged that going forward he was going to involve the party and other critical stakeholders in sensitive decisions particularly in the nomination of commissioners and local government caretaker committees, a promise he unfortunately kept in breach.

“In appointing his commissioners, His Excellency again exercised a sole discretion without recourse to the normal tradition of requesting for nominations from the local governments and disregarded the zoning arrangements and permutations and went ahead to make his independent choices as he deemed soothing, again the party did not oppose him but rather gave him support since it was his own State Executive and Security Council and needed people he could vouch for.

“The nomination of caretaker committees to man the various local governments was when the party received the most humiliation, governor Alia had thrown back to party members during the Stakeholders meeting by demanding an immediate nomination of 3 candidates each for the position of Caretaker Chairman, Deputy and Secretary as well Supervisory Councilors across the twenty three local government demanding for two slots of supervisory councilors from each of the local governments, this was first time a governor will demand such from the caretaker council formation against the usual one slot per local government. 

“The party jubilantly agreed and followed the directive by holding meetings, and painstakingly submitting their various lists with the sigh of relief and sense of belonging.

“But surprisingly, when the nominations were finally announced the party was amazed that ninety percent of the names were outside the nominees that were sent to the governor at his directive. In all these misgivings and disaffection the announcement of the caretaker committee marked the pinnacle of a noticeably bad relationship between governor Alia and APC in Benue State and this has angered a lot of party men and women in the State which can be justified by all standards’” he noted.

While alleging that Alia was disrespecting members of the National Assembly, the lawmaker said: “Governor Hyacinth Alia since assumption of duty has not held any meeting with NASS members of Benue State who were elected on the same APC platform with him neither does he pick or return their telephone calls not to talk about consulting them on political matters in the State. “

“He has assumed the posture of a conqueror who does not care about the welfare, nor status of National Assembly Members in his leadership of Benue State. In every State of the federation members of NASS are working in synergy with their governors to attract development from the centre to their State of origin.”