Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Mr. James Ian, Media Assistant to the Benue People’s Democratic Party Governorship candidate, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN has condemned the state governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia over his inability to curb insecurity in the state.
James Ian who was reacting to a statement credited to the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Tersoo Kula where he casted aspersions on the person of Chief Aondoakaa over the forthcoming general elections in the state also queried why Governor Alia has failed to return the IDPs back to their ancestral homes for three years that he has governed the state.
Recall that Alia promised the day he was inaugurated as governor in 2023 that he was going to return the IDPs back to their ancestral homes within his first one hundred days in office.
According to Aondoakaa’s media Aide, the media attacks by Tersoo Kula which he titled: “Benue Guber 2027: Integrity is the cornerstone of public service” confirmed what many Benue people have already observed over the past three years that whenever difficult questions are asked about Governor Alia’s performance, the administration responds not with facts, but with attacks on political opponents.
In his counter press statement, Mr. Ian faulted the governor’s CPS for devoting an entire article to Aondoakaa but failed to answer the questions that matter most to the people of Benue State.
His words: “Three years after Governor Alia assumed office: Why are our communities still under relentless attacks? Why are thousands of Internally Displaced Persons still unable to return to their ancestral homes despite the Governor’s famous promise to achieve that within 100 days.
“Where are the transformative projects that should naturally accompany the unprecedented revenues available to the state since the removal of fuel subsidy. How have the billions of naira the government claims to be spending on infrastructure, education, healthcare and other sectors annually improved the lives of people across the state”
According to him, the above questions, not recycled political attacks, are the issues that will determine the 2027 election.
He pressed further that Kula’s astonishingly claims that nobody is challenging Governor Alia on the basis of performance was demonstrably false.
He noted that for months, opposition political parties, civil society organizations, journalists and other concerned citizens have consistently questioned the administration’s handling of insecurity, education, healthcare, infrastructure, transparency and public finance, stressing that instead of presenting facts and figures, the government has chosen to recycle stale political arguments.
The statement reads in parts: “Mr. Kula says integrity is the cornerstone of public service. We agree. But integrity is not measured by speeches or media propaganda. Integrity is measured by whether a government honours the promises it made to the people.
“Governor Alia promised to end insecurity. Benue is still bleeding.
He promised to return IDPs home within 100 days. More than three years later, thousands remain displaced while many communities are still under attack. He promised a new era of transparent governance. Yet, Benue people continue to demand accountability regarding security votes, humanitarian donations, the utilisation of unprecedented federal allocations and other public resources. Integrity requires answers. Not slogans.
“Mr. Kula also attempts to revive judicial comments made years ago concerning Chief Michael Aondoakaa and presents them as though they amount to a criminal conviction or constitutional disqualification. They do not.
“The Supreme Court did not convict Chief Michael Aondoakaa of corruption. The Supreme Court did not sentence him for any criminal offence. The Supreme Court did not bar him from holding public office. Perhaps Kula does not understand the difference between judicial observations and a criminal conviction. He ought to understand that in a constitutional democracy, every Nigerian is presumed innocent unless found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction after due process. Selective quotations cannot substitute for legal facts.
“More importantly, the people of Benue are not preparing to vote in an election about who served as Attorney General nearly two decades ago. They are preparing to assess the record of a Governor who has been in office since 2023. That is the examination Governor Alia cannot avoid.
“If integrity is indeed the standard, then Governor Alia should willingly submit his own administration to public scrutiny. Let Benue people compare promises with delivery. Let the people compare the security situation in 2023 with the reality today. Let them compare budgetary allocations with visible projects.
“Let the people compare the enormous revenues received by this administration with the condition of our schools, hospitals, rural roads and farming communities. Let the people compare campaign promises with actual governance. That is the integrity test that truly matters.
“Mr. Kula also attempts to ridicule the ongoing consultations among political stakeholders ahead of 2027. Political consultations are not crimes. Coalition-building is not corruption. Democracy is strengthened, not weakened, when citizens and political leaders freely associate, consult and build partnerships around ideas for better governance”
Mr. Ian further stated that the real issue before Benue people is not who is meeting in Abuja but why farmers cannot safely return to their farms. “Why children continue to learn in dilapidated schools. Why healthcare facilities remain inadequate despite huge budgetary allocations. Why insecurity continues to dominate national headlines. Why many communities still live under fear” he added.
According to him, the 2027 governorship election will not be decided by press statements filled with personal attacks. but by mothers who want their children educated, by farmers who want to cultivate their ancestral lands without fear, by displaced families longing to return home, by young people searching for jobs, by civil servants, pensioners and other Benue people who expect public resources to translate into public value.
“Ultimately, Benue people will not ask who wrote the longest press release. They will ask a far simpler question:
After four years in office, is Benue safer, more prosperous and better governed than it was in 2023” he added..