Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, a Catholic priest, has joined the Benue governorship race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Alia on Saturday had an interactive session with the Benue community in Abuja to seek support for his ambition. 

The meeting was organised by the Alia Alliance, a group coordinating efforts to promote the priest’s  gubernatorial ambition.

Rolling out his seven-point agenda for development of Benue, Mr Alia, of the Catholic Diocese of Gboko, said his mission was to ensure that the government continued to prioritise the needs of residents and people of the state.

The aspirant listed his agenda to include enhancing education and healthcare, tackling corruption and other malpractices.

“Social justice will be strictly adhered to in the context of ‘One Benue, One Brotherhood’;” he said, adding that he would  also stop land grabbers in the state.

The aspirant pledged to create jobs and ensure massive industrial development through tax breaks and  holiday to local businesses.

“We will provide a leadership that will restore our values, pride and dignity,” Mr Alia said.

According to him, Benue has suffered from long years of ill-governance which has stunted its growth and development.

Mr Alia said that maladministration over the years had resulted in the underdevelopment, insecurity and general hardship that people of  Benue had been subjected to.

He urged  all Benue indigenes to rise up and join him to change the “ugly political narrative in the state.

“Benue is broken enough and it’s time to fix it. I joined partisan politics to salvage the state from collapse.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Alia Alliance, Peter Ashiekaa appealed to the Benue indigenes in Abuja to throw their weight behind what he called, the ‘Divine Project’.

He appealed for support to realise the aspirations of Mr Alia, whom he said offered the only hope for the emancipation of Benue people.

If his bid succeeds, Mr Alia would have achieved a similar feat by Rev. Fr. Moses Adasu, a Catholic priest who was elected civilian governor of Benue in 1992.

NAN