By Andover Tyowase
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and constitutional lawyer, Professor Sabastian Hon has said his decision to contest the Governorship election in his state of Benue is as a result of serious deficiencies in the current leadership which ranges from insecurity , lack of sincerity and opaque style of administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
Professor Hon also said the alleged nonchalant attitude of the state Governor, his penchant for violence, intolerance and disrespect for human lives must not be allowed to continue if Benue state truly strives to operate at the level of it’s pals, describing the state Governor as one living perpetually in self denial over overwhelming cases of genocide against his people.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the senior lawyer also accussed the state Governor of allegedly frustrating and disregarding wise counsel of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to forge unity amongst stakeholders to reduce political tensions and ensuring steady growth.
According to him: “I have been divinely instructed to contest. My track record shows that I have a special concern for my people of Benue state and the minorities.
“We have challenges of insecurity in Benue state, unfortunately the state Governor does not care about it. Our people cannot be slaughtered and there is no form of defence yet he is living in denial of the fact that there is genocide. The Governor of Nassarawa state said on the National Television that he shared security Intel with him but he did nothing and he has not denied it. People cannot go to their rural communities to farm, there is so much hunger, poverty and dishonesty. There is hopelessness .”
Speaking on the unity accord proposed by President Tinubu when he visited the Yellewatta carnage, Professor Hon said, “there is no unity, how can you explain when a sitting Governor goes to church to instigate violence.
“He only cares about his political survival, every other thing has collapsed, there is no peace anywhere when you see his boys shouting ‘No Alia No Benue ‘ in his presence and he does not caution them. He said in a church that if anybody brings his hand out he will bite it, swallow and drink water so what man of God is that.
“In the wake of the Yellewatta killings President Tinubu asked the state Governor to sit down with all interest groups and personalities in Benue and resolve whatever internal problems but he has frustrated that meeting till today . People are being killed on a daily basis and when people protested the Yellewatta killings he ordered their arrests.
“People were killed in Kwande he went to Jato-Aka and was promising roads and how militia will not occupy the areas when the area is already occupied. People are killed all over the state and he says nothing. This Governor loves life but does not believe that others love life as well.”
On opaque style of his leadership , Professor Hon said ,” The Governor has closed Governement accounts , nobody knows the wage bill of the state, what is in the accounts and what the state generates . He will do half a kilometer of road and say he did 16 kilometers, the level of deception is too much.”
He continued: “He is doing underpass and the figures coming out are such that I can’t even mention and people are saying even the figures were not budgeted for which I am yet to confirm “.
He counsels the state Governor to borrow a leaf from states like Kaduna , Zamfara , Sokoto where their Governors are collaborating with the Federal Government to deal with emerging security threats
“What Alia has done is to kill the vigilante model his predecessor established and I have interacted with the military and discovered that he is not supporting them as well as the police despite collecting N3.5billlion allegedly every month .
“As Governor you must prioritize security and agriculture in Benue state, subsidize agriculture with at least setting aside N20billion yearly once you do that alone you would have done a lot .
“The attackers come from Nassarawa and Taraba which calls for collaborative engagement, they are not coming from Ebonyi, Enugu and Cross Rivers and when Professor Gundu said it they took him to court and I am his lead counsel in that case. You cannot harbour people in your state to attack us and you do not want us to say so, it means you are above God.”
