A Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, Garus Gololo, has asked President Bola Tinubu to prevail on the Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, to call his political loyalists to order over Benue State politics.
The PUNCH reports that the National Assembly caucus from Benue State, under the platform of APC, had penultimate week accused the state governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, of running the State government like a parish.
The NASS caucus members believed to be Akume’s loyalists also accused Governor Alia of marginalising APC members and acting “dictatorially” in the state’s running of the affairs.
The leader of the caucus and Senator representing Benue North-West, Senator Titus Zam, had at a press conference said governor Alia’s tendencies could cost the party a defeat in subsequent elections in the State.
Senator Zam added that the matter had been reported several times to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, who has been mediating to see that things were normalised.
However, addressing a press conference in Kaduna on Sunday, Gololo called on the SGF to allow Governor Alia to concentrate on delivering a dividend of democracy to the people of the State.
He also urged President Tinubu to intervene in the crisis, rocking Benue before it got out of hand while accusing Akume of allegedly instigating the crisis for his own selfish interest.
The APC Chieftain added that Senator Akume should remember that he himself did eight years as governor of the State, and therefore, he should allow Governor Alia to do eight years, too, instead of lording himself as Alia’s Godfather.
Gololo said, “The purpose of calling this press conference is that as a party Chieftain when you see something wrong, you take precautionary measures before it happens.
“The whole crisis started when Akume’s younger wife wanted to become the Speaker of the Benue House of Assembly, and the governor said no!
“The wife, Becky, was the former Chairman of Gboko LGA. She was also Akume’s Secretary when he was the Minister, and now, he wants her to be the Speaker. Even if I were the one, I would say no.
“Akume should allow the man(governor) to do his job, and I am calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter before it gets out of hand.
“Let him call the SGF (Akume) to order in order to allow him to perform his job as the executive governor and chief security officer of the state.
“As governor for eight years, nobody interferes with his style of governance. He should allow peace to reign in Benue State. What does Akume want again? Politics is not hereditary.
“If it’s hereditary, then, it would have been okay for all members of his family to be entitled to whatever positions deem fit by him (Akume).”
