The Benue State National Assembly Caucus has strongly refuted allegations made by Governor Hyacinth Alia that members of the caucus are sponsoring and masterminding attacks in the state.
In a statement issued on Thursday at the National Assembly, the caucus, speaking through Senator Abba Patrick Abba, the Senate Minority Leader representing Benue South Senatorial District, described the governor's accusations as "baseless, reckless and irresponsible."
Governor Alia had alleged during a national television appearance that "some politicians who are very functional, and are in the National Assembly, and are in Abuja, are the architects and arrowheads of not just instigating but harbouring and keeping these people; keeping them in the bushes and taking care of all their bills and buying all the gadgets for them."
Caucus Condemns Governor's Statements
In their statement titled "Alia's Many Lies," the caucus expressed consternation over what they termed as the governor's "umbrage" against National Assembly members from Benue State regarding the security challenges facing the state.
The statement highlighted previous instances where Governor Alia allegedly characterized Benue National Assembly members as "bokoti" people (meaning "useless people") when they raised concerns about his handling of insecurity in the state.
"Never in the history of Benue State has a governor been known to speak from both sides of his mouth on issues, especially those that concern the lives and property of the people," the statement read.
Contradictory Statements on Security Situation
The caucus pointed out what they described as inconsistencies in the governor's statements about security in Benue. They noted that earlier this year, during a church service in Ikpayongo, Governor Alia claimed there had been no killings in Benue State since he assumed office in May 2023.
However, when citizens were killed in Bonta, Konshisha LGA, and Ukpute in Oju LGA, the governor allegedly characterized these incidents as "mere skirmishes."
The statement also accused the governor of refusing to implement the Open Grazing Prohibition Law enacted by the Benue State House of Assembly, despite a Senate resolution directing him to do so.
Demands for Retraction and Investigation
The National Assembly Caucus has made several demands, including:
- That Governor Alia should publicly retract his statements and apologize to members of the Benue Caucus of the National Assembly
- That the Inspector General of Police should urgently investigate members of the National Assembly Caucus and report findings to the people of Benue and Nigeria
- That the governor should "settle down for real governance, stop the blame games, and also stop moving with non-state actors to intimidate political opponents"
The caucus emphasized that its members have contributed significantly to addressing the security challenges in Benue State, regularly visiting their constituencies to commiserate with constituents who have lost loved ones, "while the governor continues to stay in the comfort of Government House, Makurdi."
This public disagreement highlights the growing tension between the executive and legislative arms of government in Benue State as they grapple with the ongoing security challenges in the region.
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