By Amos Aar
THE 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, on Sunday presented his running mate, Hon. Sam Ode, to a chieftain of the party from Ogbadibo local government area of the state, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, popularly known as Young Alhaji, at his Otukpo residence.
As one of the stakeholders from Benue Zone C who is strongly against the choice of Hon. Ode as running mate to Alia, Young Alhaji has never graced any of the APC rallies recently and he did not attend the thanksgiving service organised in honour of the APC deputy governorship candidate held at the Methodist Cathedral, Otukpo.
But after the Church thanksgiving, Fr. Alia led other chieftains of the party to Young Alhaji’s house in the evening and presented to him Hon. Ode who was unveiled on 14th October, 2022 in Makurdi as his running mate, an event Young Alhaji also did not attent.
Elder Simon Shango, one of the dignitaries who accompanied Alia captured it all when he hugged Young Alhaji and said, “the Mountain has come to Mohammed”. This means that Usman Abubakar was expected to be at the thanksgiving service which was held very close to his house just as it was thought he would grace Ode’s unveiling ceremony in Makurdi.
After a closed-door discussion that lasted for over 30 minutes at Young Alhaji’s expansive residence, he came out with Fr Alia and others for an open address.
Young Alhaji, in his address, freely used parables and proverbs. He started with what could be called the parable of the teeth and tongue thus: “My brothers, we have 22 sets of dentition that encircle the most fragile tissue called tongue. Each time the teeth touches both, it makes sure it does not touch the tongue because if the teeth make mistake and touch the tongue, it will not see anything to bite again.
“I’m the Reverend Father in Zone C Catholic Church. Sir, all I want is, on service day, I should be allowed to give the Holy Communion. I should be the one to give the Holy Communion to every Communicant in Benue State APC Catholic Church. Refusal to allow me as a father here to issue Holy Communion, Sir, hehehe (he laughed and shook his head)!
“As my guest Sir, I will provide you and my son, Governor, Deputy Governor, I will provide you a wonderful room, television, good wine, everything I will provide for you to make yourself comfortable. But one thing I will not do for you, Sir, sleep. That word called sleep; you will have to provide for yourself. You hear me? I will provide everything but I cannot give sleep, it is you that will sleep. I speak ironically and metaphorically. I have no problem; I have no problem at all (he repeated).
“But my problem is this, Sir. When I am erect to enter inside a lady, try to be wet. That’s what I want. Try to be wet. That’s all. You are welcome, Sir”.
Young Alhaji left many people in deep confusion after his address. It was not clear whether he had accepted Hon. Ode as running mate for Alia.
Young Alhaji had been against the choice of Ode on the ground that he [Ode] hails from the same local government, Otukpo, as the current deputy governor, Engr Benson Abounu. He had argued that for the purpose of fairness, the position should rotate to Apa/Agatu axis.
Prominent on Fr Alia’s entourage to Young Alhaji’s house were his campaign DG, Dr Fred Ikyaan, APC state chairman, Austin Agada, APC state organising secretary, Mr James Ornguga, state publicity secretary of the party, Dan Morgan Ihomun, among many others.
