BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – A Catholic Priest, Rev. Father Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has thrown his hat into the ring ready to battle all comers in the Benue State governorship race come 2023.
The 56-year-old clergy from Mbangur, Mbadede in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, is seeking the gubernatorial ticket on the platform of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North Central state.
In seeking support for his aspiration, Rev Father Alia told stakeholders at an interactive meeting with the Benue community in Abuja that his mission is to ensure the government continues to prioritise the needs of the people and residents of the state.
The session, organised by the Alia Alliance, a group coordinating efforts to promote the Catholic priest’s gubernatorial ambition, saw the aspirants reeling out his Seven-Point agenda for the development of Benue post-2023 general elections.
Rev Father Alia said given the opportunity to lead the state as governor, his administration would ensure service to the people at all times, saying that topping his manifesto is “Social justice that will strictly adhere to the context of ‘One Benue, One Brotherhood’.”
Further explaining that his seven-point agenda that would transform Benue state include enhancing education and healthcare, tackling corruption and other malpractices, the aspirant said the government would also come up with effective measures to stop land grabbers in the state.
The Clergy, who also pledged to create jobs and ensure massive industrial development through tax breaks and holidays for local businesses, said; “We will provide a leadership that will restore our values, pride, and dignity.”
He said Benue has suffered from long years of ill-governance which has stunted its growth and development, noting that maladministration has led to underdevelopment, insecurity, and general hardship that the Benue people have been subjected to over the years.
Similarly, the aspirant tasked all Benue indigenes to rise up and join him to change the “ugly political narrative in the state. Benue is broken enough and it’s time to fix it. I joined partisan politics to salvage the state from collapse.”
In his remarks earlier, Chairman of the Alia Alliance, Mr Peter Ashiekaa appealed to the Benue indigenes in Abuja to throw their weight behind what he called, the ‘Divine Project’.
Appealing for support towards realizing Alia’s governorship project that offers great hope for Benue people to be emancipated, Ashiekaa said the time has come for the electorate to make the right choice at the polls in order to move the state forward on the path of socio-economic development and growth.
It is on record that in 1992, Benue State had a Catholic priest, late Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu (12 June 1945 – 20 November 2005) as its civilian governor. Elected on 2 January 1992, on the Social Democratic Party (SDP) platform, it has been said that Adasu, who spent only two years in office as the governor, left a positive impact on the state before the late General Sani Abacha struck in a military coup in November 1993.
