In the political history of Benue State, few patterns have remained as consistent and as troubling: the recurring cycle of installation, fallout, and public apology from the political camp aligned with Sen. George Akume. And for more than a decade, this cycle has shaped public perception, determined internal party dynamics, influenced electoral choices, and unsettled the state’s governance direction.
Even today under the exceptional leadership of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia, the chorus of apologies continues to echo loudly across political conversations. But the people are now asking, with increasing impatience: what exactly are they apologizing for this time?
The roots of this troubling cycle stretch back to 2011, when the Akume political establishment publicly severed ties with then-Governor Gabriel Suswam. That rupture was followed by an outpouring of apologies; apologies not rooted in remorse but deployed as political tools to regain lost public confidence. The narrative was simple and repetitive: “Mistakes were made. Trust us again.” Yet behind that script laid an entrenched pattern of political entitlement, one that demanded loyalty without accountability.
The apologies sprung up again in 2015 after the emergence of Samuel Ortom. Backed and installed by the same faction, he was presented as the “solution.” But by 2018, the alliance collapsed dramatically. Suddenly, the same actors who had paraded him as a divine candidate began flooding the public space with remorseful statements, assuring Benue people that supporting Ortom was a misjudgment.
The political class went on a statewide apology tour; radio stations, town halls, church gatherings, and social media, pleading that 2019 would bring a “better choice,” a “more obedient leader,” a “correct candidate.” Yet, these pleas carried no introspection; they were merely a strategy for retaining influence, and not for correcting past wrongs.
The story replayed itself again in 2023 with the rise of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia. This time, they had a man whose moral authority, spiritual influence, and sweeping grassroots acceptance stood far above any political calculation. His victory was overwhelming, historic, and unmistakably people-driven. Yet the same faction rushed to claim ownership of his mandate, insisting they had once again “installed” the governor. But reality soon shattered their expectations.
One distinctive thing about Governor Hyacinth Alia is that, he has not pretended even for one hour since his assumption of office. From day one, he held firmly to a belief that has become the cornerstone of his administration: Benue’s money and resources belong to the people; not to stakeholders, not to power brokers, not to political godfathers.
It is this uncompromising stance that has frustrated the old political establishments and disrupted the old architecture of patronage. And it will be truly surprising, indeed tragic, if the same people who have been enslaved, impoverished, and manipulated for so long fall cheaply again for the antics of those who fed fat on their suffering, and are now seeking another round of influence.
One thing this group has persistently refused to take responsibility for is the sorry condition of Benue State that Governor Alia inherited in 2023. They distance themselves from every failure, every setback and every institutional collapse that happened under their watch. They behave as though the underdevelopment of Benue fell from the sky; as though the rot in public institutions grew naturally like weeds; as if the poverty that grips the ordinary Benue man is accidental and not engineered.
For close to three decades, they presided over a system where infrastructure was abandoned, hospitals were emptied of equipment and personnel, local governments were starved into irrelevance, civil servants were reduced to beggars, and public trust was systematically eroded.
They constructed a political architecture built on dependency; weaponizing poverty, normalizing scarcity, and turning deprivation into a political tool. They ensured that the people remained needy enough to be manipulated, desperate enough to be controlled, and impoverished enough to be grateful for crumbs. Yet, these same actors today roam across radio stations, events, and political gatherings pretending to be saints; pointing fingers, blaming everyone but themselves, and denying responsibility for the very ruins they engineered.
The reasons for staging this vicious and ferocious comeback are therefore not far-fetched. Byuan recently made it open for both the blind and the deaf: Governor Alia has snatched the pot of soup prepared by their leader, and to them, that is a treasonable offense; an unforgivable rebellion committed against a group that believes it owns this estate called Benue.
Just yesterday, Asema Achado yelled from Afia in Ukum Local Government, declaring arrogantly that “bringing Alia was a big mistake, but God has availed us the opportunity of correcting it, so we are correcting in 2027.” His tone was swollen with sanctimony, as though they ever fared better or offered the state anything other than recycled chaos.
Not to be left out, Senator Udende poured out his own venom. His words: “Governor Alia’s behavior is contrary to the Bible.” One must then ask: does the Bible encourage men to feast on the people’s commonwealth? Does the scripture sanction political gluttony, godfatherism, manipulation, or the impoverishment of an entire state?
These are the characters recycling lies, dressed in moral theatrics, attempting once again to hoodwink the people of Benue into their web of weaponized poverty.
Barely two years into his administration, and with visible, undeniable achievements across the state; better roads, cleaner cities, restored public institutions, with civil servants regaining dignity, pensioners breathing again and salaries flowing consistently, the familiar voices have returned to their ritualistic apologies.
Only this time, their apologies sound hollow, confused, and unnecessary. No major fallout has occurred. No governance failure has been recorded. Nothing has collapsed. Instead, the state is witnessing tangible progress. Yet they persist in apologizing, not because Governor Alia has failed, but because their old political formula has failed them.
The actors have become laquociously loud, sanctimonious, and self-serving, locked in a century-long struggle for dominance over the soul of Benue politics. Their politics has never been about development; it has always been about control. It has always been about who gets to decide the next leader and who benefits from the spoils of power. Their interest is not the progress of Benue but the perpetuation of their political relevance.
I saw this clearly in the last election season. Their entitlement, their drama, their cycles of installation and betrayal became glaring. And I made a personal decision: never again would I support any candidate emerging from the stables of such manipulative politics. My target was clear, to support a candidate who could secure the commonwealth from these political bandits and redirect the state’s resources to its rightful owners: the people.
Governor Hyacinth Alia has, in my estimation, far surpassed that target. He has not only shielded the state’s resources from the excesses of political predators but has also used those resources to rebuild confidence in government. For the first time in years, Benue is experiencing governance without excuses, without blame games, without apology tours.
Which brings us back to the central question: what exactly are they apologizing for this time?
In past years, their apologies had reasons: salary arrears, abandoned projects, bloated debts, broken trust, and collapsing systems. But today, salaries are paid. Pensions are paid. Infrastructure is rising. Public confidence is growing. Governance is stabilizing. So the apologies are no longer explanations; they are political distractions. They are attempts to stay relevant in a political reality that has outgrown their style of backward, transactional politics.
But the Benue people are tired. They are no longer persuaded by these endless theatrics. The cycle of “we are sorry” has become an insult on the intelligence of the electorate. It has become a sign that this faction has nothing left to offer except noise and nostalgia for an era of chaos.
The age of transactional politics; where candidates are installed to serve the interests of a political group rather than the people, is no longer fashionable and it must give way to a new era of development politics.
This new era must be defined by competence, accountability, stability, continuity, and results; not by the whims of political godfathers or the manipulations of a political elite that thrives on confusion.
Governor Hyacinth Alia’s performance so far signals this shift from the politics of apology to the politics of progress. And the people must defend this new direction with vigilance and clarity.
Benue has endured too many years of excuses, blame shifting, and endless apology tours. The new message must be clear and uncompromising: No more apologies. No more distractions. No more cycles of installation and betrayal.
This is the moment for development.
This is the moment for stability.
This is the moment for leaders who defend, not plunder the commonwealth of the people.
Benue deserves better.
Benue demands better.
And under the purposeful leadership of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Benue will continue to rise.
Sir Tersoo Kula, mnipr is the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia.