Gov Alia, ex-Finance commissioner fight over chieftaincy title

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State and the immediate past Finance Commissioner in the state, Mr David Olofu, are bickering over the alleged removal of his name from the list of Benue sons and daughters to be conferred chieftaincy titles by the Paramount Ruler of Idoma tribe, HRM Och’Idoma Agabaidu Dr. Elaigwu Odogbo, on Saturday.

While the former commissioner claimed the removal of his name was based on the governor’s directive, Governor Alia described the allegation as unfounded and a mission to blackmail him.

Olofu said: “It was communicated to me yesterday night from the Och’Idoma himself. I do not have any problem with Governor Alia. I have never had any confrontation with him. As I speak, I am the Senior Technical Adviser at the Nigerian Governor’s Forum. If I am a confrontational person, would I be working in a place where all the governors belong?

“You have APC there, you have Labour Party, APGA, and you have the PDP there. I am a professional, I have done politics but as a professional, I know the dividing line between politics and my profession and I have never allowed politics to becloud my profession.

“Even as Chairman of the Forum of Commissioners for Finance where I chaired for three and half years, I was in PDP but I was chairman and they did not find me wanting. Is it because I served the previous government?

“So I have spoken to the former governor and he said I should allow it. So I have allowed it. He is the governor and he can do whatever he wants to do.

“But on Sunday, I will go to church and give glory to God. In all situations, as Christians, we are admonished to thank God.”

Reacting, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula said: “This is blackmail. Governor Alia does not in any way detect to traditional rulers what they should and what they should not do especially as regards conferment of awards, titles and the rest of them on their subjects.

“The governor has a lot on his hands in running the affairs of this state than to go and dabble in such frenzy issues that border on chieftaincy titles. He does not regulate chieftaincy affairs up to the point of deciding who should be honoured or not.

“This is blackmail and those who are doing this should distance themselves from this evil mechanization. The governor is a priest and does not hate anyone. He is a governor for all including those in PDP, APC, SDP, LP and others.

“When you are the governor you are a father for all and that is what the governor has been doing all this while.”

The Chief Press Secretary, who stressed that he wouldn’t want to believe that the allegation was coming from the former commissioner said: “Except he has any document or evidence that the governor actually communicated to the traditional rulers of Idoma extraction calling on them to extract his name. This is not true and that blackmail has to stop.”