From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
Ahead of 2023 general elections, governorship candidate of the Labour Party, (LP), in Benue State, Mr Herman Hembe, has declared that he is still the authentic governorship candidate of Labour Party in Benue.
Hembe made the declaration after a Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, dismissed the case brought against him by Engr. Ben Akaaka seeking his disqualification as the governorship candidate of the party for the Benue 2023 governorship election.
At the court, Akaaka had stated that Hembe participated in the APC primary election and sought that INEC be ordered to replace Hembe’s name with his, being the first runner-up in the party’s primary election Hembe won.
But Justice Abdul Dogo dismissed the case stating that Hembe’s name was erroneously written in the APC primary elections results since he had resigned membership of the party before the primary elections.
Reacting to the judgement, visibly excited Hembe said the judgment has finally put to rest rumours about who the authentic guber candidate of Labour Party in Benue state is.
He called on the Benue people to fully support of his candidature and Labour Party, now that the court has guaranteed his candidacy assuring that if voted into power, his adminstration will remove killer herdsmen from the state and return all IDPs to their ancestral lands.
Earlier in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, El-Ngugar Agav, Hemebe said considering the huge debts the state is currently into, running flamboyant government would be detrimental to the economic survival of the state.
He said as part of his agenda in office, he will reduce the cost of governance and grant complete autonomy to local governments on the day of his inauguration by scrapping the Joint Account to end looting of local government funds by the state government.
“This will enable Local Government employ staff when needed, pay salaries and pensions, revive primary schools, primary health centres, construct small bridges and culverts, undertake rural electrification and a host of many other projects thereby taking development to the grassroots.
He also promised to make Benue business friendly by ending multiple taxation, providing funds to young entrepreneurs for startup business and attracting foreign investment into the state to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths.
According to him, priority will also be given to agriculture and food production, tourism and entertainment industry, employment, infrastructural development, education, healthcare, payment of salaries, pensions arrears to make Benue great again.