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Says it’s far from genuine pastoral concern
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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
A group operating under the aegis of Kunav Progressive Academics has faulted a petition written by some governorship aspirants against the Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia.
Our correspondent reports that a coalition of gubernatorial aspirants from Vandeikya Local Government Area (LGA), where Governor Alia hails from, had petitioned the Catholic Bishops in the state, raising alarm over what they described as the misuse of the church platform for political intimidation and violent rhetoric involving the Benue governor.
In the petition dated February 27, 2026, the group urged the Catholic Bishops of Makurdi, Gboko, Otukpo and Katsina-Ala to preserve the sanctity and neutrality of church spaces.
Briefing newsmen in Makurdi on Monday, the Kunav Progressive Academics, led by Prof Daniel Chile, said the petitioners, including Surveyor Godwin Ityoachimin, Hon. Joseph Waya, Rt. Hon. Dominic Ucha, Prof. Paul Angya, Prof. Denis Ityavyar, and Prof. Terhemba Shija did not write the petition out of genuine pastoral concern, but a carefully scripted political manifesto disguised as a religious complaint.
The group described the petition as half-truths presented as facts, metaphors twisted into malice, and ambition dressed in the garb of piety.
They said the governor is not a sectional leader, as he was elected by the majority of votes across Tiv, Idoma, and Igede lands.
Chile stated that while the petitioners speak of rhetoric and threats, they will speak of roads constructed, salaries paid, industries revived, and lives transformed, adding that while they weaponise the pulpit, they will defend the sanctuary.
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He said, “The misrepresentation of the Tsenge Incident.’ The petitioners’ account of the event at All Saints Catholic Church in Tsenge on January 18, 2026, is a classic case of taking words out of context to manufacture outrage.
“Governor Alia was not delivering a political campaign speech; he was addressing the congregation and his well-wishers during the Thanksgiving ceremony, a cultural and religious event in which it is customary for the guest of honour to offer exhortations.
“The metaphorical language attributed to the governor, specifically regarding ‘biting fingers’ and ‘beheading’, is a deliberate and malicious misinterpretation of indigenous rhetoric. In Tiv socio-political discourse, such proverbial expressions are traditionally used to emphasise the need for resilience, vigilance, and self-defence against political persecution.”
Chile said further that “to equate these idioms with a literal endorsement of violence is either intellectually dishonest or a sign of a weak grasp of Tiv communication nuances.
“Furthermore, the governor was responding to years of documented political persecution, targeted attacks, and institutional sabotage by certain vested interests who feel threatened by his administration’s anti-corruption stance. When a leader speaks of self-defence in his native land, it is a statement of resolve, not a call for physical assault.”
He also noted that the petitioners referenced an incident at St. George Catholic Church in Tyobo regarding the Ter Gboko, saying, “The governor has consistently advocated for respect for constituted traditional authority. If there were tensions, they were matters of political realignment and local governance, not threats issued from the pulpit. To frame routine political interaction as ‘intimidation’ is a stretch designed to fit a pre-determined narrative of victimhood.”
The Kunav group insisted that “Governor Alia is a priest who heeded the people’s call to serve in the temporal order. His presence in the church is first and foremost as a baptised Catholic seeking the Eucharist. To suggest that his former clerical status is a tool for “gaining access to pulpits” is offensive to the clergy and priesthood generally. Our priests and bishops are men of integrity and sound theological grounding; they are not pawns to be manipulated by any politician.”
They urged politicians to shun politics of bitterness and campaigns of sensationalism but rather to contribute to intellectual and political maturity in the state.
They highlighted Governor Alia’s achievements, including the construction and rehabilitation of over 570 km of urban and rural roads across the state, including inner-city roads in Makurdi, Gboko, and other major towns; the construction of the state’s first flyover is underway at the Wurukum roundabout and underpasses at High-Level roundabout and Gyado Junction in Gboko, bringing modern infrastructure Benue has never seen before.
The group, while stating that Benue people are politically conscious and will not be misled by elite quarrels, said: “If the signatories to this petition truly believe they have a better vision for the state, they should present that vision openly to the electorate rather than hide behind petitions and attempts to inflame religious sentiment.”
