Against the backdrop of the recent face-off between supporters of Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, ADAMU ABUH digs into the rift between the Governor and the SGF and its likely impact on the fortunes of the party in the state, especially in the 2027 polls, if unresolved in good time.
The recent face off between supporters of Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, over calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to relieve the SGF of his plum job is indicative that all is still not well within the ranks of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State.
The latest trouble was preempted by pro-Alia groups under the aegis of Benue Renaissance and the Gubernatorial Liaison Officers with the call for the replacement of Akume for allegedly attacking their principal during the recent burial of the late elder statesman, Dr. Paul Unongo.
At the burial, Akume reportedly alleged that the governor has been beclouded by enemy-like politicians in the state who “wanted him dead” even before the March 18, 2023, governorship election.
The SGF said he wholeheartedly mobilised the people of the state to vote for Alia; but noted that he now fears that the man he knew before the 2023 governorship election seems not to be the man leading the Food Basket State. Akume said: “The people who wanted to kill Father Alia are the ones who are now with him. That is the way of most of our brothers
“When I speak, what do I say? They should note that Father Alia that I knew is different from the Father Alia of now. I am saying today that I like Father Alia; he knows this. But the cheerleaders have taken him away from us. The truth is that neither Suswam, Gemade nor Akaageger supported him. This is a statement of fact. They didn’t support him. So, what have I, George Akume, done?”
The pro-Alia groups saw Akume’s statement at the burial ceremony as an affront on the governor, who was present at the event. To register their annoyance, they staged a solidarity walk to the Government House in Makurdi, where they issued a communiqué calling for the SGF’s removal, stressing the need to safeguard the governor’s commitment to the well-being of the people of the state against those bent on exploiting the state for their personal gains.
Predictably, pro-Akume groups, under the aegis of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens and Accountability Advocacy Groups, hit back almost immediately questioning the lack of transparency and accountability in the use of an unprecedented N513 billion allocated to the state.
Led by Dennis Agema, the coalition claimed that since the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29, 2023, Benue State has experienced an astronomic increase in federal allocations, soaring from an average of N3.5 billion to between N11 billion and N12 billion monthly. Local council allocations have also seen appreciable increase, with a minimum of N9.7 billion now disbursed each month. This financial surge has resulted in over N346 billion flowing into state accounts in just a year and a half.
Claiming that there is lack of visible improvements in key sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare and education, the group alleged that Alia has failed to live up to his campaign promises to clear salary arrears and return internally displaced persons to their homes.
They further claimed that the total loans accumulated under the governor’s leadership have reached an astonishing N167.69 billion in just one year without a clear plan for sustainable development. The group insisted that the alleged disconnect between available resources and visible outcomes cannot be justified.
“Governor Alia is running a one man government anchored on zero transparency and accountability. He awards contracts unilaterally and does not recourse to either the State Executive Council or the State House of Assembly. All the few roads and other countable projects he has done, there was no due process and no bidding was advertised. Yet, the State Assembly members watch and say nothing.
“We expect Governor Alia to remember that he was voted to serve the people and to act in their best interests, ensuring that the benefits of increased resources are felt by all. The people of Benue State deserve better governance, and we will continue to advocate for the transparency, accountability, and development our state needs. This is a task we will continue to pursue for the future of our state,” the group said.
Meanwhile, the governor has denied calling for the sack of the SGF. In a statement last Sunday by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, the governor said the rebuttal became necessary “because of mischief making the rounds in the media, sponsored by the proxies of the SGF, who are desperate to blackmail the governor and distract him from the unprecedented developmental strides he is making in the state.”
The statement added: “These desperados based their mischievous outing on the communiqué by a group of appointees of Governor Hyacinth Alia. However, it is necessary to throw light on the context surrounding the call for the removal of the SGF.
“While the point of view expressed in the communiqué must have clearly reflected the concerns of these appointees, it is most critical to specifically point out that they do not represent in any way an official stance of the governor.
“The group that issued the statement comprises adults and are entitled to express their opinions autonomously. They did not claim to speak on behalf of Governor Alia, nor did they insinuate that their call for action was sanctioned by him.
“Moreover, the governor has consistently maintained a professional decorum and has refrained from going public to accuse the SGF despite the provocations perpetually directed at him by the SGF’s political allies and associates, including his wife, who is a member of the House of Representatives.
“If Governor Alia wants to call for Akume’s sack, he certainly knows exactly what to do and where to channel his request, the same way he channeled his preference and recommendations for him before he was appointed SGF.”
The development is coming against the backdrop of the parallel congresses conducted by the state chapter of the APC split along the lines of Austin Agada and Benjamin Omale backed by Akume and the governor respectively.
Last week’s decision of the Benue State High Court sitting in Makurdi that nullified the sack of the Agada-led executive holds the prospect of sweeping away the entire victory recorded by the 23 local council chairmen in the state held in October this year.
Though the Omale-led executive committee has appealed the judgment, Justice T.A. Kume ruled that the dissolution of the Agada-led executive committee was unconstitutional and not in line with the provisions of the APC constitution.
The Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led APC National Working Committee (NWC) had in August this year inaugurated a seven-man caretaker committee led by Omale, purportedly drawn with the consent of both Akume and Alia, to take over the affairs of the party for six months.
With both sides at daggers drawn over the control of governance and party structure in the state, there are fears that the situation could affect the fortunes of the party in the state in the 2027 polls.
Efforts by Ganduje to broker peace between the two gladiators, said to be based on the instructions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, have not been fruitful. In one of such conciliatory meetings scheduled in Abuja about three months ago, Alia reportedly stayed away from it.
The peace deal brokered by the paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, His Royal Majesty, Prof. James Ortese lorzua Ayatse, in Gboko, witnessed by some top members of APC, including Senators Jacob Tilley Gyado, Barnabas Gemade, the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev, among others, appears not to be impactful given the latest development.
The sharing of spoils of victory after APC unseated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 poll have been blamed for the conflict between Alia and Akume’s supporters mainly drawn from the National Assembly members from the state.
Akume, who is believed to have facilitated Alia’s emergence as APC governorship candidate in the build up to the 2023 polls, is said to have been sidelined in the appointments of commissioner and other key appointees in the state.
On the other hand, Alia’s loyalists accuse Akume of unilaterally influencing the appointment of his stooges into juicy federal positions without consulting their principal.
How would all these impact the political fortunes of the APC in Benue State, especially in the 2027 polls, if they remain unresolved? Alia’s Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Ferdinand Shinyi, is optimistic that the warring groups would set aside their differences in the interest of the state.
He said: “For any political party to achieve success in elections, all interests must converge to present a common front. Disunity is surely a recipe for failure. We saw what happened to the PDP in the 2023 election where the Wike and Atiku factions couldn’t reconcile their differences. So, a party desirous of winning elections must first of all achieve internal cohesion .
“I wouldn’t go to the extent of saying things have fallen apart between Alia and Akume because the two leaders still speak kindly of one another while urging their supporters to eschew politics of bitterness”.
So, whatever that is out there about their supposed rift might still be speculative.
“But, generally speaking, the APC in Benue stands to gain more by staying as one united family than by various tendencies within the party tearing at each other. I think in the final analysis wisdom will prevail and doomsday will be averted.”
For Chief Solomon Iorpev, Alia’s second term is assured going by the developmental strides his administration has so far recorded in the state. Iorpev, who is the Technical Adviser to Governor Alia on Media and Strategic Communications, noted: “As far as I know, Governor Alia has already won his re-election in 2027 irrespective of his relationship with this or that person. He has revived a comatose state and put it on the fast lane of development through his numerous ongoing projects.
“The people are watching everything and they are happy with him. So, while I consider it too early to start talking about 2027 now, I can tell you that as far as Governor Hyacinth Alia’s re-election is concerned, we have nothing to worry about.”
