Gemade may replace Alia as Benue APC guber candidate

There are speculations, particularly on social media, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may have substituted Rev Fr Hyacinth Iornem Alia with Sen Barnabas Gemade as the governorship candidate of the Party in Benue State for the 2023 general elections.

It would be recalled that shortly after the party’s direct primary which threw up Fr Alia as its governorship flag bearer, controversies had continued to trail the process as some aggrieved aspirants had petitioned the party and went ahead to approach the court to seek redress.

The development had since cast a doubt as to whether or not, the alleged winner of the primary would fly the party’s flag during the general election in 2023.

Reacting to the news on Tuesday evening, the state secretariat of the party, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Dan-Morgan Ihomun insisted that Alia remained its guber candidate.

The APC while accusing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of flying the ‘rumour’ urged all her teaming supporters across the state not to be moved by the desperate kicks opposition party in the state which it noted, had occupied itself with the winner of the APC governorship primaries, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia.

“People of the state can recall that ever since joining the APC and going ahead to win the party’s governorship primaries, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia has remained the nightmare and boogeyman of the PDP with the state chapter praying that they rather not have him on the ballot in 2023 which is the only way they can signal any hope of maintaining their grip on the state’s treasury,” the statement read in part.

However, in a telephone chat with our Correspondent on Wednesday, Media aide to Sen Gemade, Solo Dzuah confirmed the report of the likely emergence of his principal as the party’s guber candidate but noted that his principal would only be party to any arrangement that follows due process.

Dzuah hinted that a meeting was ongoing at the National Secretariat of the party at the end of which the governorship flag bearer of the party in Benue State would emerge even as he expressed optimism that his principal would be favoured in that meeting.

“It’s true that he (Gemade) is going to be the candidate (of the party). However, the process is still ongoing at the national secretariat of the party by the National Working Committee. But since I don’t attend such meetings, I may not have the details as at when it will finally come to fruition,” Dzuah said.