From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Anyone who has followed the politics of Benue State since 1999 to date will agree that Senator George Akume, who was the Governor from 1999 to 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has remained a factor in the politics of Benue, playing significant roles along the way.
He successfully installed his successor in 2007 and has continued to produce successors for subsequent governors.
In 2007, he brought in Senator Gabriel Suswam as his successor on the platform of the PDP. Thereafter, in 2015, he made Chief Samuel Ortom, the Governor of the State, though on the platform of his new party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and in 2023, he brought to Reverend Fr. Hyacinth Alia and ensured that he (Alia) won the governorship election against all odds, on the platform of the APC.
Having served two terms as Governor of Benue State, eight years as a Senator, four years as a minister and currently serving as the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Akume can arguably be referred to as a political godfather in the State.
However, what many cannot phantom is why he (Akume) has been unable to manage all those he had made governors as they usually fall out with him few months or few years after they assume office. For instance, after successfully installing Senator Gabriel Suswam as Governor against all odds, he could not sustain his relationship with Suswam as barely one year after he was sworn in as Governor, both fell out and became sworn enemies till Suswam left office. It was the same story with Dr. Samuel Ortom, who fell out with Akume barely a year after he assumed office. The fight between them continued until 2023 when Ortom left office.
In 2023 when Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia won his election, Senator Akume rolled out drums, celebrating his feat of installing yet another Governor of the State. On his part, Governor Alia also eulogised Sen. Akume, promising to always work together with him so that together, they could harness democratic gains for the people of Benue State.
The Governor also pledged that he would involve the party deeply in taking sensitive decisions, particularly in the nomination of commissioners and local government caretaker committees, a promise that excited all party men and women with overwhelming applause.
Daily Sun cannot immediately ascertain when or how the political fight between Governor Alia and Senator Akume started, the two political gladiators have at various fora denied any rift between them.
But the intervention by the North-Central APC Forum last Sunday put a lie to the claim by the SGF and the Benue State Governor.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, after a meeting in Abuja, the Forum expressed concern over media attacks on Alia by faceless groups in the country, warning that Akume’s moves to undermine Alia could affect the party’s chances in the State in the 2027 election.
While further warning that APC can’t afford to lose Benue, the forum noted that the SGF should be blamed if the Governor decided to leave the APC for another party, like his predecessor, Samuel Ortom.
“APC cannot afford to lose Benue State, neither can the party afford to lose Governor Hyacinth Alia who has been performing well in office. The SGF and his attack dogs should not distract the Governor from delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Benue State,” the group added.
Reacting however, the SGF spokesperson, Terrence Kuanum, dismissed the group’s claims as baseless, stating that it was out to tarnish Akume’s image.
“There is no iota of truth in the claim that the SGF is behind media attacks on the Benue Governor, Hyacinth Alia.The group led by Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga however exposed its real motive/agenda when it threatened to mobilise against the SGF and demand his removal from office.
“Contrary to the claims by the APC North Central Forum, the SGF has continued to offer leadership and direction in Benue and the North Central Chapter of the party,” the SGF said.
Daily Sun’s investigations reveal that the political war between Governor Alia and Senator Akume started over who controls the party structure and who should nominate political appointees under the Alia-led Government.
The war was again taken to the Benue State House of Assembly over who produces the leadership of the House. It was gathered that on the day the members were to elect their leaders, the House was allegedly divided along supporters of Senator George Akume and that of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
While Governor Alia prevailed and was able to scale through, as his preferred candidates emerged leaders, Senator Akume saw the action as a slap on his face. Since then, it has been one fight after the other between the two political leaders. The latest is a battle for the control of the party structure in the State. This development compelled the national leadership of the APC to constitute a caretaker committee headed by Chief Benjamin Omale after Governor Alia ceased to recognise the then State Executive Committee of the party, led by Comrade Austin Agada, said to be loyal to the SGF.
Apart from the stakeholders in the North Central, stakeholders in the State too have expressed worries that the political war might affect the chances of APC in 2027. Some supporters of Alia are also wondering whether he would be able to make it in 2027 on his own without the support of Akume.
A supporter of Governor Alia who preferred to remain anonymous said “I have chosen not to comment on the fuss between Alia and Akume. When the duo is ready, they will tell us the actual problem. For now, I prefer to keep sealed lips.”
Giving an insight into the crisis, in the party and how it could mar the chances of Governor Alia in 2027, the State APC Publicity Secretary in the Agada- led exco, Mr. Daniel Ihomun, clarified that the fracas in the Benue APC is between Governor Alia and the party and not with Akume.
He said the shaky relationship started in June 2024 during the inauguration of the State Assembly where the Governor had preference for a candidate for the position of Speaker but could not confer with the leadership of the party, rather allowed the party to painstakingly sit, zone the position and anointed a candidate that was not his choice.
The end result, he said was an embarrassing situation where stalwarts of the party were enmeshed in a shameful altercation that clearly lowered them and the party in the chamber of the Benue State House of Assembly, stressing that such relationship, if allowed to continue, could affect the Governor’s re-election bid in 2027.
Ihomun recalled that away from the speakership tussle, the list submitted by the State APC leadership in respect of other principal officers of the House was jettisoned while the list allegedly submitted by the Governor, through his Chief of Staff was announced.
He said similar scenario also played out during the nomination of commissioners in the State. In picking his commissioners, he said the Governor exercised his sole discretion without the usual tradition of directing Local Governments to make nominations taking cognisance of zonings and necessary political permutations.
He said the Governor also threw his back on the party during the nominations of Caretaker Chairmen, Deputies, Secretaries and Supervisory Councillors. “The announcement of caretaker committees marked the pinnacle of a noticeably sour relationship between Gov. Hyacinth Alia and the APC in Benue State and this snowballing anger by all standard is justifiable.”
The APC stalwart described the situation as a humiliating experience for the party, having to face that level of neglect in the hands of an APC administration they laboured hard to plant, nevertheless, they still sustained their faith in the governor and his government.
He maintained that Benue APC had made a decisive choice to support the Governor right from the primary election, through the campaigns, during elections and after elections and the party cannot turn against him overnight. However, we advise the Governor to retrospectively check why this singular complaint of negligence of the party keeps resonating in all their dealings.”
Also Speaking, a public analyst from Benue South Senatorial District, Dr. Adakole Elijah alluded that the chance of Alia in 2027 is a 50/50 thing saying the Governor may do it alone and he may find it difficult to scale through.
He however said that one sure thing is that Akume is not a pushover. “If you ignored him, you ignored him at your own peril.”
Adakole who described Senator Akume as the godfather of APC in Benue State, said he brought the party, recruited people into it and solidified it and without him, Governor Alia may never have smelled the ticket.
“Therefore, it would have been better not to go into a spat with Senator Akume or any other political juggernauts in the State. One way to escape being caught is to be good to all and sundry, saying that the Governor should avoid politics of parochialism, ethnicities, and sectionalism.
“He must act as a father to all. In that case, the entire State will take ownership of him and deliver him. His projects and appointments should reflect the entire gamut of the State. From what is on the ground so far, it is like zone C is not in his programme. All the laudable projects said to have been executed in zones A and B by the Governor, I am yet to see any in Benue South Senatorial District. And it is looking like we are not part of the State or in his agenda.
“It is a truism that Father Alia has yet to attract political appointments to the people of Benue South Senatorial District. I am sure that he will not forget them before his first term elapses. We are appealing to him to try and get the people of Benue South Senatorial District into federal appointments,” Adakole stated.