The Benue State All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed a recent communiqué by the Benue North East Peoples Democratic Party ,PDP, caucus as a political distraction, accusing the opposition of ignoring its internal decay while fixating on criticism of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
In a statement on Sunday by the state Organizing Secretary and Spokesman of the party, James Ornguga, the party described the PDP meeting in Benue North East Senatorial District as “a little caucus gathering”; of remnants avoiding the reality of widespread defections weakening their base.
The APC criticized the PDP’s praise of former Governor Samuel Ortom, labeling him “a textbook example of bad governance.”;
It argued that the Ortom administration’s handling of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of 2017 was poorly executed and lacked adequate security support, making it ineffective in stopping herdsmen attacks.
“Governor Alia is taking a more strategic approach by working with the federal government to implement the anti-open grazing law while increasing security investments in the state.
“The governor’s provision of patrol vehicles and an increase in local government security votes from ₦1 million to ₦10 million monthly is measures to combat the recent surge in violent attacks.”;
The APC said the PDP had no moral ground to criticize, accusing the party of leaving behind a trail of unpaid debts.
“Governor Alia is now steadily clearing salary and pension backlogs inherited from the previous administration, bringing relief to Benue workers and retirees.”;
The party said Gov Alia is committed to implementing local government autonomy, noting that the Central Bank of Nigeria is already in the process of enabling direct fund disbursement to all local councils nationwide.
The party also accused the opposition of aligning secretly with the APC’s 2027 presidential candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and suggested that remaining PDP loyalists should consider joining the African Democratic Congress ,ADC, which it claimed now harbors the party’s more credible members.
The statement concluded with a stern warning that the APC would no longer tolerate what it described as baseless attacks on Governor Alia from the PDP, branding the party as “non-directional”; and out of touch with the current political reality in Benue State.
