SUSPENDED ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST BEATS FORMER PARTY CHAIRMAN “GEMADE”, EX AGF “AONDOAKA” TO CLINCH BENUE APC GUBERNATORIAL APC TICKET
Hyacinth Alia, a suspended priest in the Catholic diocese of Gboko, has secured the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Benue state.
Following his declaration, Alia was suspended by the church, according to reports.
On the basis of the Catholic church’s canon regulations, he was temporarily relieved of his priestly duties.
The priest won after receiving a large number of votes in the primary election on Friday, May 27.
He contested the party’s ticket with Barnabas Gemade, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Mike Aondoakaa, a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF).
It was gathered that the priest polled over 7,000 votes to clinch the party’s ticket.
According to reports, in some of the LGAs, Gemade and Aondoakaa failed to get a single vote.
The priest stated that he joined the governorship race to rescue Benue people from the “shackles of poor 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,” the priest said.
