[Opinion] ‘Victory’ Without a dance: The case of Benue APC

By Aondona Isaka

It is no longer news that the kangaroo primary election that the All Progressives Congress, APC conducted in Benue State purportedly produced former Catholic priest Hyacinth Alia as governorship candidate of the party.
What is strange is that 48 hours after the charade, no APC member is celebrating. Even those who were chanting ‘Alia, Alia’ are too ashamed to dance to his ‘victory’. So what has gone wrong? Ordinarily, you’d expect the drums to be rolled out for celebration stemming from the background that the Alia camp of APC is known for wide jubilations at the slightest opportunity. The reverse is however the case since the Thursday 26th or was it Friday 27th May, 2022 election. (Blame APC for the conflicting dates I have here).

But I am more disappointed in the retired reverend father than any one else in APC. I read his “victory” acceptance speech and was hoping to see at least one line admitting that the process that produced him was flawed like the legendary Umaru Yar’Adua did during his acceptance speech in 2007.
Here was Alia, a priest who should be honest enough to say things the way they are, commending the APC primary election as transparent and credible. I was shocked reading his speech. And I asked myself, how can Benue trust such a clergyman who is already lying as if his whole life depends on the lie.

A man who adorns the cassock of Jesus, yet is prepared to lie his way to power is more dangerous than the career politicians who we know. Such a man does not deserve our trust and votes.

Interestingly, while Alia was lying to cover up the mess of the primary election, his APC fellow governorship aspirants were filing petitions at the party’s National Secretariat and elsewhere against the election which they severally described as a sham and impunity of the highest degree. Senator Barnabas Gemade, Chief Kaase Aondoakaa and Prof Terhemba Shija were among those who had already petitioned the process at the last count.

The aspirants have listed the flagrant disregard for the normal procedure of conducting primary elections. They have accused the leadership of the party of denying them the right to inspect electoral materials, refusing to display the voters register and not allowing them to have their agents at the voting centres on the day of the polls.

The above is the reason why there is graveyard silence in Benue APC since after the party primaries. Alia and Akume should be very worried that it is not yet game over! Their “victory” will last for just a few days and they know this as a fact.

I won’t be surprised if APC does not field candidates for the 2023 elections in Benue State.