Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, will not honour the House of Representatives Committee invitation scheduled for Thursday, May 8.

The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday in Makurdi.

The House summoned the governors of Benue and Zamfara state alongside their assembly leadership.

Mr Kula stated that the invitation was unconstitutional, noting that the governor would not honour it.

 He explained that Mr Alia has filed a case at the Supreme Court challenging the lawmakers’ invitation.

 He said, “Yesterday, the Benue State Assembly passed a resolution rejecting the reps committee invitation. They believe the invitation is based on ignorance and have decided not to attend. They will also challenge it in court.’’ 

Mr Kula added that the governor, independently, approached the Supreme Court to challenge the invitation’s legality.

 He said, “Since the matter is in court, I will not speak further on it.”

 Mr Kula also claimed that the civil society group behind the petition was faceless and unregistered.

 According to him, the address on the group’s letterhead is fake and lacks credibility.

He said there was a coordinated campaign of misinformation and sponsored protests aimed at destabilising Benue State.

He noted that in recent weeks, there had been protests in Abuja allegedly representing Benue people’s concerns.

“These protests aim to provoke a state of emergency in Benue by portraying it in a negative light,” he said.

 He claimed that the organisers sought to undermine progress and return to a failed political order.

 Mr Kula added, “Their ultimate goal is to create chaos for selfish political gain.”

 He accused the protest sponsors of trying to remove the governor through disruptive means.

 “They will not succeed. Benue people stand firmly with their governor,” he said.

He assured the public that Benue State remains peaceful and the government is functioning effectively.

He said, “Governor Alia is committed to fulfilling his mandate and addressing the state’s challenges.’’

(NAN)