Suspended Catholic Priest Clinches APC Guber Ticket In Benue

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Saturday, May 28th, 2022

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Hyacinth Alia, a suspended priest in the Catholic diocese of Gboko, has emerged the winner of the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue state.

African Examiner recalls that Alia was suspended by the church after he announced his intention to run the gubernatorial race. The priest was relieved of his priestly duties temporarily because of the canon laws of the Catholic church.

However, the priest won after he received a high number of votes at the primary election that was conducted on Friday.

Alia contested the party’s ticket with Barnabas Gemade, a former national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Mike Aondoakaa, a former attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and polled over 7,000 votes to clinch the party’s ticket.

Alia stated that he joined the governorship race to rescue Benue people from the “shackles of maladministration”.

“From the day I took the decision to answer the overwhelming calls of my people to contest the governorship of Benue with the aim to rescue our people from the shackles of maladministration, I was fully aware of the sacrifice I was going to make,” he stated.