May 07, (THEWILL) – The Benue State Government has dismissed the recent wave of protests held in Abuja under the guise of representing the concerns of Benue citizens, describing them as a coordinated plot by political detractors aimed at destabilising the state and discrediting Governor Hyacinth Alia.
Reacting to the development, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, accused the organisers of the protests of deliberately attempting to trigger a constitutional crisis with the hope of forcing President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in the state.
Kula said, “These protests are not genuine expressions of public concern. They are politically motivated and designed by desperate individuals to paint Benue in a negative light.
“The objective is clear — to manufacture a crisis that will justify federal intervention and ultimately remove Governor Alia from office.”
He further alleged that the campaign was rooted in a rejection of the reforms and progress being driven by the current administration, describing the protesters as agents of a “discredited past” seeking to return to power through the backdoor.
According to Kula, the use of legal practitioners and civil society groups in the protests was part of a deliberate strategy to lend credibility to a misleading narrative.
He accused the organisers of parading ex-convicts as spokespersons, sponsoring impostors claiming to be lawyers, and submitting petitions riddled with falsehoods to the National Assembly.
“These actions not only insult the legal profession but also highlight the lengths to which these individuals are willing to go in their pursuit of personal vendettas,” he said.
Kula urged the Nigerian Bar Association to investigate and sanction those allegedly impersonating legal professionals and engaging in unethical conduct.
He reiterated that the Benue State Government was aware of the identities and motivations of the protest sponsors, adding that they would not succeed in derailing the administration.
“The people of Benue State remain solidly behind Governor Alia. The state is stable, government institutions are functioning effectively, and we are making meaningful progress in delivering good governance,” he asserted.
On the issue of insecurity, Kula acknowledged it as a national challenge but assured that Governor Alia was actively working to protect communities from armed herders through proactive measures.
He called on the media to be circumspect in its coverage of the protests and to resist the urge to amplify what he described as “false narratives” engineered to mislead the public and create panic.
“With the continued support of our people, we will surmount these distractions and focus on the real task of rebuilding Benue,” Kula said.
