Benue rainbow coalition members are noise makers —Alia

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has stated that his achievements in the past three years would work for his re-election in 2027.

Hence, the governor also declared that the noise by rainbow coalition group made up of politicians in the state was nothing but ‘ranting of an ant’.

Alia spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, on Wednesday while reacting to the national secretary of the coalition, Austin Agada, who vowed that the coalition would teach the governor a lesson in the forthcoming governorship election.

Agada is the factional state chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state and loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.

Agada had during interactions with newsmen in Makurdi recently boasted that the coalition group would teach the governor Alia a serious lesson comes 2027.

But the governor’s aide described Agada’s comments as ‘ranting of an ant,’ stating that the governor as a reformer knew from the beginning that many of the politicians would turn out to become his enemies because he has ideas and therefore fears no gang-up.

Tersoo maintained that Alia’s administration was intensifying efforts to implement reforms across critical sectors, with the ultimate objective of improving the living conditions of residents.

READ ALSO: Governor Alia’s political theology

He said: “Governor Alia is not distracted but remains focus more than ever before to deliver democratic dividends to the people. The  beneficiaries of this administration, including workers, markets women, youths and the masses appreciate Alia’s good works and would re-elect him in 2027.

“People say there is a coalition, it is not strange. Austin Agada came to say they will teach the Governor a lesson. This is a man who failed to win his polling unit during the last election in 2023. He even engaged in anti-party activity and sold his vote to Senator Abba Moro of PDP and was later suspended by his ward executive.

“People speak as if they are God. Governor Alia is with the masses of Benue State. Before becoming governor, as a priest,  he was representative of the people and knew their challenges. Let the people come out and reject him.”

On the lingering political cold war between the Governor and SGF, Kula insisted that the governor as the leader of the party in the state would not bow down to an individual but the masses.

Asked why the governor floated the directive of the president to give all incumbent representatives automatic ticket during the primaries, Tersoo said that the state has its political peculiarities.

“In Benue, we respect rotational arrangement as well as performance of an individual, so the governor is a product of rotational arrangement,” he said.