By Bridget Ikyado
The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for the 2023 General Elections, in Benue State, Very Rev Fr Dr Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has called on all his aggrieved brothers contesting his emergence as the Governorship Candidate of the party, at the 2022 Governorship Primaries in the State, to sheath their swords and join hands with him on a round table for a reconciliation, to place Benue first, as a priority.
In a statement by Donald Kumun,
Deputy Director Media (Public Affairs), ALIA/ODE 2023 Governorship Campaign Council, Benue State said Fr Alia made this known on Monday October 31st, while reacting to the Judgement of the case filed by the Governorship Candidate of Labour Party (LP), Iorwase Herman Hembe, who contested the Guber Primaries with him in APC – delivered at the Federal High Court, in Makurdi.
Iorwase Hembe, a former Member of the House of Representatives for Vandeikya/ Konshisha Federal Constituency, had gone to Court to seek for reliefs such as, a Declaration that the votes allocated to him in the Gubernatorial Primaries of the APC held on 27-5-2022, and the rerun Primaries held on 8-6-2022, are null and void, and of no effect whatsoever.
But in a judgment according to the Lead Counsel to APC in the matter, Barrister Fidelis Mnyim, Justice Abdul Dogo, in resolving the issue of whether the suit is a pre-election matter or not, cited section 285(14) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended), which defined pre-election election matter as “Any Suit filed by an Aspirant who contend that any of the provisions in the Electoral Act or any Act of the National Assembly, relating to the conduct of Primaries of a political party, and the provisions of the guidelines of the political party, in the conduct of primaries, have not been complied with by the political party in selecting, or nomination of its candidate.
He quoted the Judge as saying that the above provision is concise, and devoid of any ambiguity hence, the Court is bound to give the literal meaning of the said provisions. According to Mnyim, the Judge further Stated that, “whether the Plaintiff has situated himself or his Suit within any of the provisions of subsection 14(a) to (c) of 285, recourse must be to hold to the originating summons and the affidavits in support of same.
He said the Jude also ruled that, he has read carefully the three issues in the originating summons of the Plaintiff, and has seen that the only issue the Plaintiff complains about is the alleged treatment as one of his members in the Governorship Primary election, conducted by APC for the election of it’s Governorship Candidate, in Benue state, and not a pre-election matter as provided by the law, and accordingly strike out the Suit and awarded Fifty Thousand Naira (N50,000) cost against the Labour Party Candidate, to be paid within Seven days, to All Progressives Congress, (APC).
Fr. Alia, in continuation of his reaction, revealed that he is excited over the Court Ruling, on hearing the good news, describing it as an exhibition of fairness, truth, facts, and supremacy of justice, by the judiciary, which he said, clearly represents the voices of the people/hope of the common man.
“I’m quite excited to hear the good news of the judgement. I’m pleased that fairness is out there, the truth, the facts, have all played out. I’m quite pleased with the victory. Is not my personal victory but the APC victory, and above all, a victory for truth, and the entire Benue people. Once you know the truth, the truth will set you free.
“Let me take the opportunity to thank our Legal Team for their hard work and commitment to a job well done, for making sure that the truth that is out there for everyone to know, is being demonstrated by the Court through this judgement.
“Let me also take the opportunity to invite all the other folks who feel aggrieved that, the end point should not be the court. We are brothers, and this is our State. At the end of the day, we will all just still need to come back to salvage our State. I’m inviting them to come back; let us still stay on a round table for reconciliation, to talk like brothers.
“Let us talk like all of us have stake for the development of our State. Because there is so much that can unite us than the tiny bits that seems to be dividing us. Once they come back, all of us will stay on the page for what works for the growth and development of our State”, he said.
On his part, the APC State Chairman, Comrade Austin Agada, also called on the aggrieved members of the party to join him and Fr. Alia in moving the State forward, noting that the end point of the aggrieved members and the party, can never be the Court Judgement, but the stake of all and sundry in the development of the State, from her deplorable state, to an enviable height.
“I want to use this opportunity to beg every other aggrieved member of our party, that the end point can never be the judgement from the court. Like His Excellency rightly stated, as a people that have a stake in the development of our State, let us seat on a round table and discuss. The truth about it is that, even the deaf and dumb knows that Rev. Fr. Alia should be giving the opportunity to serve as the peoples’ choice in the 2023 Governorship Election, and be elected as our next Governor. As a party, we don’t want to loose any of our members. I am saying this, and is on record that, Herman Hembe, remains a member of the APC”, Agada declared.
In a related development, the Court also on Monday October 31st, 2022, declared Arc. Asema Achado, a Chieftain of the party, as the Lawful Candidate of APC for Gwer/Gwer-West House of Representatives, for the 2023 General Elections, in Benue State.
A Federal High Court, which was presided over by Hon. Justice Obiora Atuegwu Egwuatu said, the authentic and lawful winner of the Direct Primaries of the All Progressives Congress held on the 29th May, 2022, and duly monitored by INEC, is Arc. Asema Achado.
According to the judgement, the cause of action arose at the time INEC published the name of the 3rd Defendant, Engr David Nongo, as the Candidate of APC for Gwer/Gwer-West Federal Constituency thus, when the Plaintiff, Asema Achado, took note of the publication, filed his case within the 14 days period as required by law, and got merit, as he was able to prove his case sufficiently on the preponderance of evidence adduced.
The Court, therefore, set aside the publication of the name of the 3rd Defendant, Engr. David Nongo on INEC’s portal, and at the various INEC offices in the two Local Governments that make up the Constituency (Gwer/ Gwer-West Federal Constituency), and ordered the Commission (INEC), to immediately remove the name of the 3rd Defendant, Engr David Nongo, and replace it with that of the Plaintiff, Arc. Asema Achado, as the rightful Candidate of the Party, for the 2023 General Elections, having scored the highest number of vote cast in the Direct Primaries of the Party, which was well supervised and monitored by INEC.