Benue PDP Raises Concern Over Alia’s Alleged Romance With Tribunal Judges

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has raised the alarm over Governor Hyacinth Alia’s alleged romance with President of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem describing the alliance as a plot to reportedly influence the tribunal judges to bend the seeming defeat of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is facing at the State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

The PDP in the state and its gubernatorial candidate in the March 18 election, Rt. Hon. Titus Uba is challenging the outcome and victory of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Tribunal.

Governor Alia at the weekend attended the one-year remembrance Mass in honour of the late Prince Paeke Shepnaan, son of the President Court Of Appeal, Hon. Justice Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem, in Shendam Local Government Area of Plateau State, a development the PDP has raised suspicion.

In a statement, the PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bemgba Iortyom, said it viewed the “frolicking of Governor Alia around the Court of Appeal President with deep suspicion for the 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.

“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 All Progressives Congress (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.

“Today the veil is being lifted off the ‘corporation sole’ of his supposed priesthood both at the election petition tribunal where facts and evidence have been successfully entered against his election as governor, coupled with his fast unraveling incompetence and unpreparedness to discharge the functions of the office of the governor”.

The party warned Governor Alia against any act as may seek to tamper with the course of justice at the tribunal, and advised him to channel his energies towards visiting places across the state ravaged by killings and destructions by suspected bandits.

It warned that any attempt by the governor to tamper with justice at the tribunal will be stoutly resisted through every lawful means available to it.