Hyacinth Alia, a suspended priest in the Catholic Diocese of Gboko, has clinched the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue state.
Gatekeepers News reports that Alia won after polling the highest votes – 7,000 at the primary election that was held on Friday.
He was earlier suspended by the church after his declaration on the grounds of the canon laws of the Catholic church.
The APC in Benue had earlier opted for a direct primary to pick its governorship candidate, which allowed members of the party in the state to vote for their preferred choice.
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).
The duo failed to get a single vote in some of the LGAs.
Alia said he joined the governorship race to rescue the people of Benue from the “shackles of 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 had said.
