Politics generally is regarded as a game of interest. The actors of the game usually claim that they are in politics for the interest of their people. No one talks about his interest but the people’s interest. It is commonly said that there are no permanent enemies but permanent interests. Service to the people is ostensibly the primary reason for which people to go into electioneering contests.
During the last general elections that saw the emergence of Hyacinth Iormem Alia as the Governor of Benue State, all the political actors made the people to believe that they were actually concerned about their interest. But in the All Progressives Congress (APC), several of the contestants at the governorship primaries expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome, a situation that led the party to have a rerun in twelve local government areas.
It is common knowledge that some aspirants who felt aggrieved after the primary elections took their grievances to court. The legal battles took a long time to resolve, and although some elders intervened in the matter, it fell on deaf ears.
But after the general elections the candidate of the APC, Revd Fr Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia was declared winner of the governorship election in the state. To the political class it was the victory of the APC. All members of the party seemingly celebrated the victory of the party. It appeared as if the victory would mark the end of the intra party crisis. Unfortunately, it was the beginning of another dimension of the crisis in the party.
While some members of the party have chosen to camp with the governor, others have attached themselves to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume. The bone of contention revolves around alleged non inclusion of some stakeholders in party decisions.
Governor Alia has however repeatedly denied that anyone in the party has been sidelined.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula while responding to the allegation informed that the Alia led government of the state has always carried the stakeholders along. Kula disclosed that in the appointment of Commissioners all stakeholders were invited and they made their inputs and it was acted upon accordingly.
Kula also revealed that when the state government wanted to appoint caretaker committees for the local government councils the stakeholders were consulted and their views considered. He wondered what the government had done without their consent.
But in his reaction to the allegation, Governor Hyacinth Alia noted that the Benue people were his stakeholders and his interest was to do what would interest the stakeholders, that is the Benue people.
Subsequently, the APC leadership from all the local government areas in the state met in Makurdi where they reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the style of governance of Governor Alia. The sins of the Governor as alleged centred on stakeholders not being carried along with regard to certain sensitive government decisions. One political heavyweight noted that the local government party leadership had strong reasons except that they were afraid of victimization and that explained why they did not come out boldly with their position.
There are indications that even the State Executive Committee of the party is factionalized. For instance, the APC Chairman, Austine Agada with some members according to findings are said to belong to Akume’s faction while the others belong to the Governor’s faction. Each faction is doing its best to outsmart the other.
Benue APC Chairman, Austine AgadaThe recent suspension of Agada by the party appears to have resulted from this impasse. Chairman.
A group of party faithful under the aegies of Concerned APC Stakeholders however met recently in the Benue government house where they sued for dialogue, calling on stakeholders to support both Alia and Akume, to enable them succeed in their different roles for the good of the state.
(To be continued)…..
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