Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has expressed confidence that political tensions arising from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in the state will soon ease, assuring President Bola Tinubu that the party would emerge stronger and more united.
Alia spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday. Former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, accompanied him.
The governor acknowledged that some APC members had become aggrieved following the party primaries but expressed optimism that the situation would soon calm down.
“I know there have been some agitations from the very APC faithful after the primaries, but I believe that it’s going to calm down,” he said.
Describing President Tinubu as a democrat and grassroots politician, Alia said he was confident the APC would remain united in Benue and deliver an even stronger electoral performance for the President.
“Mr President is a Democrat who understands this. He’s a grassroots person. When we’re working for APC altogether, I am very confident that, as I won the election for the first time, we’re going to double the numbers for him. APC will continue to remain just one threshold, and we’re going to make it good for him and for the entire Benue State as well,” he said.
Alia explained that the meeting also provided an opportunity to express appreciation to the President for attending activities marking Benue State’s 50th anniversary and to brief him on developments in the state.
He said discussions centred on the security situation, the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their communities, the ongoing farming season, and the political atmosphere in the state.
According to the governor, security in Benue has improved considerably, although some concerns remain.
“You know, previously we’ve had a lot of insecurity heat and all that, so it’s calmed down. He needed to know the position of the IDPs now in the state, and also, this is a farming season for us; we are the food basket of the nation. If the IDPs are voluntarily going home, do we still have some anxieties out there? So the answer is yes,” Alia said.
He added that the President also sought updates on how the state government was addressing the remaining security challenges while ensuring that displaced residents could safely return to their communities.
The governor noted that Benue was witnessing relative peace and expressed optimism that the security situation would continue to improve.
“Benue is calm, relatively calm. Peace is also relatively out there, and we’re hoping for the very best,” he said.
Alia also highlighted some of his administration’s development projects, noting that while one of the state’s planned processing factories had been commissioned during the Benue at 50 celebrations, other projects, including the Benue Food Basket beer factory and a fruit juice factory, were yet to be inaugurated.
He added that several road projects executed by his administration had already been commissioned during the anniversary celebrations.
