- Voters Express Mass Support for Rev. Fr. Alia
By Amos Aar
GOVERNORSHIP aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State who lost out in the direct primary election of the party conducted on Friday, 27th May, 2022 which produced Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia as candidate, have rejected its outcome.
Some Aspirants, who have bared their minds so far on social media through their media aides, alleged that the primary election was not conducted in most areas and materials were not distributed for that purpose.
Senator Barnabas Gemade, reacting through his media assistant, Comrade Solo Dzuah, described the exercise as a “sham primary election that has produced a bogus result.”
According to Gemade, there were no guidelines issued for the primaries and there were no party membership registers at any of the ward venues. He further alleged that “electoral officers purportedly sat by the party secretariat, never moved to any of the venues throughout the state and that party members who gathered there, gathered in vain.”
He added that “the so-called results announced on Saturday, 28th May, 2022, were simply fabricated and allocated to aspirants by some election panel members and state executive committee members.”
Gemade also argued that the conduct of the primaries outside the stipulated schedule of the National Working Committee (NWC), timetable and direct mode was no longer available to the party.
“The conduct of the said primaries is therefore, a violation of the Electoral Act as well as INEC guidelines for the conduct of the 2023 elections.
“The primitive allocation of votes to aspirants for the purpose of disgracing them before Benue populace is a very shameful act of indiscretion, and anyone who seeks to disgrace their esteemed gubernatorial aspirants actually ends up disgracing themselves before the general public,” Gemade stated.
Also reacting, former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief, Michael Kaase Aõndoakaa described the primary election as “a kangaroo dance”.
Chief Aõndoakaa in a petition to the National Chairman of APC through the Director General of his Gubernatorial Campaign Organisation, Barr. Dominic Nyam, as reported by The Nation newspaper on Sunday, alleged that the primaries didn’t comply with the Electoral Act and APC guidelines.
Aõndoakaa claimed in the petition that when he visited the venue of the election, nothing was happening and “only a few confused delegates were seen loitering around with no clear direction.”
Just like Senator Gemade, Chief Aõndoakaa had earlier kicked against the plan of some party stakeholders to adopt direct mode of primaries instead of an indirect mode reportedly agreed upon unanimously.
“Sir, recall that we were notified of the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of APC to conduct governorship election by indirect primary (vide letters dated 23rd May, 2022 and 24th May, 2022) to the effect therefore, the delegates were elected between 16th-17th May, 2022 and were properly documented by the Benue State EXCO of the party; the list was forwarded to the party’s headquarters and INEC,” Aõndoakaa recalled.
He cited section 84(13) of the party’s constitution, saying “where a political party fails to comply with the provision of the Act in the conduct of its primaries, its candidate for election shall not be included in the election for the particular position in issue…”
Former Benue Deputy Governor and 2023 governorship aspirant, Chief Stephen Lawani through Comrade Sylvanus Okpe, the Director, Media and Publicity, Lawani Campaign Organisation (LACO) said, they were not given equal opportunities in the process of nominating a governorship candidate for their party ahead of 2023.
He said that “as aspirants, we received an official notice for a change of the mode of primaries at 12pm, on the day the indirect primary was already scheduled to hold. At that time, we already made every necessary preparation for an indirect primary election. Even when the direct primary mode was adopted, as an aspirant, I was unaware of where and how the election was to be conducted.
“I was never contacted to send agents for the purposes of any election. I was not informed at what locations in the wards the election was to hold as required by law. There was no electoral committee set up to collate the results across the 276 wards of the state. No electoral materials were deployed in any part of the state in prosecution of the said election. No party register for proper identification of registered party members. No proper accreditation of intended voters.
“I was therefore surprised to read yesterday (28th of May, 2022), that the election had been conducted with imaginary votes allotted to all aspirants, and a winner declared,” Lawani said
On his part, Prof. Terhemba Shija, in a statement through his campaign Director General, James Mbachiantim, described the APC guber primary election as “a sham and aberration of democracy.”
Prof. Shija had in strong terms rejected the outcome of the election and dissociated himself from the exercise.
But the chairman, Primary Election Committee, Dr Peter Ojie, who described the election as peaceful, fair and credible while announcing results said “the National Chairman of APC endorsed a letter directing that for Benue State, three modes were available for the party to choose to conduct primary elections and the leadership of our great party chose direct mode to conduct gubernatorial primary election. So when we arrived here, we informed leaders who were gathered in this hall about everything.
“The election was conducted through open ballot system across the 23 local government areas of Benue State.
“Members of the party at the various ward centres queued behind the candidates of their choice and option A4 was applied.”
Massive social media endorsement for Rev. Fr. Alia
Meanwhile, there is a massive expression of support for Rev. Fr Alia in social media circles across Benue State.
The support for the cleric turned politician comes from across party lines via comments on various social media chat groups and in interpersonal discussions, all describing the criticism of the defeated governorship aspirants as waste of resources and energy.
In most groups, commentators are of the view that even if the primary election was conducted severally, Rev. Fr. Alia will still dust them beyond imagination.
