From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Benue State chapter, has raised suspicions over the visit of Governor Hyacinth Alia to Shendam, Plateau State, the country home of the President of Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Donogban-Mensem.

Alia, on Saturday, had attended the one year remembrance Mass in honour of late Prince Paeke Shepnaan, son of the President of Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, in Shendam, Plateau State.

PDP, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom,  said it viewed “Tts frolicking of Governor Alia around the Court of Appeal President with deep suspicion for the fact that the governor is having his election challenged by the party before the Benue State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal (BGEPT) sitting in Makurdi.”

The party said it was aware that the President of the Court of Appeal appoints the judges who sit on the various election petition tribunals, and that while the party has no reason to doubt the integrity of Dongban-Mensem and its judges, the same cannot be said of the Benue Governor.

The party warned the governor against any act that may seek to tamper with the course of justice at the tribunal saying  any attempt by Alia to tamper with justice at the tribunal will be stoutly resisted through every lawful means  available to the party.

Reacting, the state chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC) called on the opposition PDP not to think of getting justice through back door.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Daniel Ihomun, said Governor Alia was free to attend any event he is invited.

“PDP is just suffering from the defeat of March 18, 2023, as people of the state freely gave their mandate to the governor and our party we will continue to defend the mandate and work towards the betterment of the people of the state. Governor Alia won the election free and fair and it is on record that no governorship election in the state has recorded such a huge margin, which is 250,000 votes difference.

“PDP should wake up from their slumber and accept the reality that it cannot get justice through the back door. Court deals with facts and reality on ground. Governor Alia and the party is poised to uplift the lives of people of the state which PDP had destroyed in the past years,” Ihomun said.

Similarly, the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, has asked former Governor Samuel Ortom and the PDP to “spare Alia of their desperation and confusion.”

Kula in response to the PDP allegation said “the insinuation contained in yet another vile attack on the judiciary for allowing Alia to attend a memorial mass for the late son of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem is unfortunate. The memorial service in honour of late Prince Paeke Shepnaan, the son of the President Court of Appeal, was attended by prominent Nigerians including four serving Governors, former Governors as well as Senators.

“Governor Hyacinth Alia was at that event to also represent the Progressive Governors’ Forum just like Sayi Makinde represented NGF. Should we say Wike and Makinde were also there to frolic with the President of the Appeal Court on behalf of Ortom and the Benue PDP? It is laughable how the PDP has now shifted its hopes to the Tribunal, even after they were roundly defeated at the polls.

“Governor Alia and the judiciary must be spared this form of crude desperation and confusion. The law profession and the Judiciary arm of government are noble,”  Kula said.