Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has debunked speculations that he is planning to leave the All Progressives Congress for the Social Democratic Party .
In a statement issued on Wednesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, in Makurdi, Alia described the rumours as baseless and the handiwork of mischief-makers attempting to create friction between him and President Bola Tinubu.
“These falsehoods not only miss the mark but also expose a deep misunderstanding of my relationship with the president,” Alia said.
The governor made it clear that he had never considered leaving the party that brought him into office, dismissing claims that he was aligning with former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for a defection to the SDP.
“The suggestion that I am contemplating a shift to the SDP, alongside Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and others, is not only laughable but completely unfounded,” he stated.
He also accused detractors of recycling old pictures to push their narrative, including false claims that El-Rufai recently visited Makurdi.
“They forget that security reports accompany such visits. No such thing happened,” he added.
Alia, who described himself as the leader of the APC in Benue, said he had revived the party, which was on the verge of collapse before the 2019 elections.
“Our remarkable performance in office has not only strengthened the APC but has also sent the opposition into hiding,” he boasted.
He noted that since assuming office, his administration had worked tirelessly to reposition Benue in alignment with the Federal Government, leading to various benefits, including key political appointments for Benue indigenes.
“Our commitment to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda is evident in the development strides we are recording across the state,” he said.