Ex- assembly members urges Gov Alia to embrace peace, unite APC in Benue

…..passes vote of confidence on SGF, APC chairman

From Attah Ede Makurdi

The Forum of concerned former members of the Benue State House of Assembly on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Benue State, has urged governor, Hyacinth Alia to restore peace and unite the members of the party in the state.

The group however, passed a vote of confidence in the leadership of the APC under the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF), senator George Akume and the chairmanship of comrade Austin Agada.

The forum therefore, called on the Benue State government to desist from further polarisation of the party, rebuilt its relationship with her representatives at the center and take proactive steps to stem the tide of herders/farmers crisis as against the lip service and politicisation of the phenomenon

Speaking at a press conference in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, the chairman of the forum and former speaker of the sixth and seventh State assembly, Dave Iorhemba, said the former members have observed with concern the frosty relationship between governor Hyacinth Alia and the SGF and the avalanche of derogatory remarks, the use of uncomplimentary language and innuendoes flung at the person of the SGF by the governor and his team, when the two sides should be working together for a greater Benue.

Iorhemba was flunked with other members of the forum at the conference, said the All Progressives Congress APC as a party is built around the person of senator George Akume who nurtured and sustained the party in the State since its registration.

“Senator Akume is equally the person who in consultation with critical stakeholders conceived arnd birthed the direct direct primary election at the gubernatorial primary election with the sole purpose of according victory at the primaries to the governor who is the latest beneficiary of the SGF’s political sagacity.

“We declare our unflinching support to our leader senator George Akume and state in clear terms that the leadership of the APC in Benue State is not in issue but rests unreservedly on the SGF in whom it’s epitomised the perfect politician who readily leads a hand to the least in the society.

“As politicians and members of the APC, we note and restate for the benefit of those who do not know that, it is the party that wins votes at the elections and not the candidate.

“It is thus most unwarranted and an open display of political naivety for the governor and his team to openly declare that APC won the past election because of his candidature. We refrain ourselves from appraising the pedigree of the governor preceding his candidature but state categorically that votes were canvassed for the party and not the candidates”, Iorhemba stated.

He condemned the crisis rocking the APC in the State, including the court cases arising from the challenge of the purported removal of comrade Austin Agada, stressing that despite the court orders issued to maintain the status quo of Agada led executive and the evacuation of the interim orders restraining Agada from carrying on as the State chairman, the governor has chosen to recognise a purported acting state chairman of the party and set up a parallel state secretariat.

“We therefore declare our support to the Austin Agada led state executive and urge Governor Alia to allow the State, local government and wards party executive to carry on their duties within the constitutional tenure.

“We however, commends the governor’s zeal and efforts at upgrading infrastructural development in his quest to give Benue State a facelift which admittedly has been neglected for too long.

The former members thanked President Bola Tinubu for appointing senator George Akume as secretary to the government of the federation.

They called on governor Hyacinth Alia to restore peace in Benue and form a synergy with national assembly members from the state and other appointees of president Tinubu at the federal level in order to attract more democratic dividends to the state.