..spare us your crude desperation and confusion – Alia replies PDP

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Benue state has expressed concern over the presence of Governor Hyacinth Alia at the one year remembrance Mass in honour of late Prince Paeke Shepnaan, son of the President of the Court Of Appeal, Justice Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem, in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The party noted that the presence of the Benue State Governor at the event aroused suspicious given his pending case at the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Makurdi.

The PDP in a statement issued Sunday in Makurdi by its State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom said it viewed “this frolicking of Governor Alia around the Court of Appeal President with deep suspicion for the very notorious fact that the governor is having his election challenged by our great party before the Benue State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal (BGEPT) sitting in Makurdi.”

The statement stated that “PDP is aware that the President of the Court of Appeal appoints the Judges who sit on the various election petition tribunals, and while the party has no reason to doubt the integrity of the President and those Judges, the same cannot be said of the Benue State Governor.

“Governor Alia has shown himself a man willing to bend rules and distort facts to achieve his objectives, and this much was evident in the manner of his emergence as the Governorship Candidate of the APC at the last election, through a process fraught with glaring irregularities, but which he hailed as most transparent, to the shock of many, despite his supposed status as a Catholic priest.

“PDP warns Governor Alia against any act as may seek to tamper with the course of justice at the BGEPT, and further, the party advises him to channel his itinerant energies towards visiting places across the state ravaged by killings and destructions by suspected bandits whom he has admitted having a pact with and refers to as “my brothers in the bush”.

“Our great party reiterates that any attempt by Governor Alia to tamper with justice at the BGEPT will be stoutly resisted through every means lawful and available to the party.

Reacting in a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Tersoo Kula described the PDP outburst as shameful saying “Governor Alia and the judiciary must be spared this form of crude desperation and confusion. The law profession and the Judiciary arm of government are noble.

“The insinuation contained in yet another vile attack on the judiciary for allowing Alia to attend a memorial mass for the late son of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem is unfortunate.

“But many Benue people will agree here that, since the return of democracy in 1999, the APC led administration has refused to interfere in the affairs of the judiciary, regarding electoral matters.

“The memorial service in honour of late Prince Paeke Shepnaan, was attended by prominent Nigerians including four serving Governors, former Governors as well as Senators.

Governor Hyacinth Alia was at that event to also represent the Progressive Governors’ Forum just like Sayi Makinde represented NGF.”