Local Government Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State have accused Governor Hyacinth Alia of a deliberate reluctance to engage with the party’s leadership and people in the state.
This charge was detailed in a statement issued following the forum’s meeting on Friday.
The forum noted examples of strained relations between Governor Hyacinth Alia and the party in the statement, alleging inaccessibility, non-responsiveness to phone calls, and the exclusion of party leadership from crucial government appointments.
The forum expressed concern with the recent formation of local government caretaker committees, stating that the governor developed a list on his own that included opposition party members who did not support the party’s triumph.
The forum, led by Austin Agada, expressed pleasure with the national APC leadership, which included Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s President, and Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the party’s leader in Benue State and the North-Central Geopolitical Zone.
The forum, however, distanced itself from Governor Alia’s decision to exclude the party’s leadership from policy and program formulation.
They criticized the governor for handling state affairs unilaterally without consulting the party, emphasizing the significance of respecting political party institutions and leadership in a democratic system.
Concerned with the governor’s attitude, which was viewed as anti-party and ingratitude, the forum decided to withdraw from state and local government functions until the issues expressed were addressed.
They also decided to hold peaceful protests at many offices, including the APC State Secretariat, the Benue State House of Assembly Complex, Government House in Makurdi, the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in Abuja.