Yesterday, the 11th of November, 2024, we read the news with curiosity that Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has lifted the suspension of the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mnyim. Governor Alia, a few weeks ago suspended Mnyim over the inclusion of Benue among the states challenging the legality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
It is on record that Defenders of Democracy (DoD) described the move by the governor as the height of hypocrisy and a shameful attempt at saving his face when the judgment of the Supreme Court shall go against the plaintiffs among whom were the Benue State government.
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We have reliably gathered that the return of the Attorney General Mnyim to his duty post all of a sudden is another move by Governor Alia to prevent what could have caused his reputation a catastrophic damage, if he did not bring back Mnyim and allowed the Justice Commissioner to stray away into political wilderness.
Barrister Mnyim has damaging information about Governor Alia, the nature of information that if the governor had continued to frustrate Mnyim and the suspended Attorney General decided to release the details in his possession to the public, Alia would have forgotten about his second term ambition immediately. Remember that it was Barrister Mnyim who did all the dirty work like a laundry man to get Alia off the judiciary noose after the APC yahoo yahoo primary election in Benue State. Mnyim handled all the cover-ups, the bribes and the maneuvers.
When Alia won the 2023 election, again, Barrister Mnyim handled all the dirty job of compromising the judiciary with heavy bribes given by the governor through him.
Our investigation revealed that there is a dirtier side of Governor Alia which only his close associates and appointees such as Barrister Mnyim know about. That is the side that Alia dreads even more. He does not want details of him in that area getting public.
Read: Gov. Alia reinstates suspended attorney general
Akura had threatened that if Governor Alia chose to treat him badly by sacking him after all that he did for him, then he would have no other choice than to spill the beans. The threat to expose the shady deals of Alia scared the governor to the marrow and he quickly asked Akura to return to his office.
DoD had urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to beam its search on Governor Alia and his administration and investigate the reported mismanagement of state and local government funds under the governor’s purview.
We are worried that since Alia took charge as governor, his administration has been involved in stinking depths of corruption with billions of the state and local government funds under his control missing and unaccounted for. Several civil society groups wrote petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-corruption agencies calling for the investigation of the administration, but Alia continued to harass and detain many of the whistleblowers.
The removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu has tremendously increased allocations to states and local governments, but Governor Alia and his officials have been managing the state resources if it is his personal business without any transparency and accountability.
We condemn Governor Alia’s despotic style of government in the state and ask him to retrace his steps. The governor should also warn his local government chairmen and other officials to stop tormenting innocent people who want to hold meetings and other events under the guise of public order.
Signed:
Amos Achiv,
President Defenders Of Democracy.
