Focus on Kano, stop insulting Benue people, Alia’s aide tells Kwankwaso - Punch Newspapers
The Chief Press Secretary to the Benue State Governor, Tersoo Kula, has told former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, to focus on the political challenges in Kano and respect the mandate of the people of Benue State. Kula, in a statement on Wednesday, described Kwankwaso’s recent criticism of Governor Hyacinth Alia as “an unfortunate and unwarranted insult” that did little to advance constructive political discourse. Kwankwaso had criticised Alia over the disruption of Peter Obi’s visit to Benue, describing the incident as “unfortunate and unnecessary” and saying the governor should not have allowed it to happen. He also commented on the relationship between Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. File: Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia Responding, Kula said the Benue Government understood Kwankwaso’s “misplaced grudge” against Alia, alleging that it was connected to Obi’s visit to the state. “We understand his misplaced grudge against Governor Alia. He is angry because his principal, Peter Obi, was sneaked into Benue without proper coordination, after which he falsely accused the Governor of disrupting the visit,” the statement said.See more Punch stories on Google.Add Punch on Google Kula further alleged that the controversy surrounding Obi’s visit was deliberately created by people seeking to portray Alia negatively. “Obi’s drama was completely set up by those who are desperate to give Governor Alia a bad name, and if, up to this point, Kwankwaso is yet to understand that Obi was used, we are compelled to wonder whether he is truly a politician who understands the politics of this region,” he said. The Benue Government had previously denied prior knowledge of Obi’s visit and rejected allegations that it sponsored the youths who blocked his convoy. The police subsequently said they were investigating the incident, while 46 people were arrested in connection with the blockade. Kula said Alia was elected by the people of Benue and that his mandate should be respected regardless of political differences. EFCC urges pastors, imams to preach against corruption Wike rejects election rigging allegations, says G5 strategy outsmarted Atiku 2027: OK movement vows not to surrender structure to NDC “Governor Alia, a Reverend gentleman, was elected by the people of Benue State, and his mandate should be respected by any sane citizen, regardless of political differences,” he said. The governor’s aide also faulted Kwankwaso for commenting on the relationship between Alia and Akume, urging the former Kano governor to concentrate on political issues in his home state. “Someone needs to tell the former Governor of Kano State that, rather than interfering in Benue’s internal affairs or making unfounded claims about the relationship between Governor Alia and Senator George Akume, he should focus on the political challenges confronting him in Kano,” Kula said. He said the concerns surrounding Kwankwaso’s party’s political standing in Kano deserved his attention more than attacks on another state’s governor. “The concerns surrounding his party’s difficulty in finding political footing and his fast-declining political influence there deserve his attention more than personal attacks on another state’s governor,” he said. Kula also urged Kwankwaso to stop what he described as insults to the people of Benue, saying they were capable of assessing the performance of their government and determining their political future. “Kwankwaso should be advised to stop insulting the sensibilities of Benue people, as the people are capable of judging their government and deciding their political future,” he said. He further challenged Kwankwaso over his party’s performance in recent by-elections in Kano. “Kwankwaso should face Kano politics. He has enough to explain about why his party performed so abysmally in the last by-elections conducted in his state. He must respect the people’s mandate in Benue and offer ideas, not insults,” Kula added. Samuel Omotere Samuel Omotere is an experienced journalist covering human interest stories, pop culture, and digital trends. He combines his background as a language graduate with a focus on sustainable digital storytelling.
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