FromGodwin Tsa,Abuja

Aprofessor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Sebastine Tar Hon, has thrown his cap into the political ring of Benue State to challenge and ultimately unseat the incumbent governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia.

Governor Alia, who succeeded former Governor Samuel Ortom in 2023, has come under heavy criticism from both within and outside the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) with regard to how he has been running the state since assumption of office.

While the Benue State House of Assembly recently passed a vote of confidence in his leadership, his critics are of the view that he has failed in the area of social and security challenges confronting the state.

As 2027 beckons, Prof. Hon has decided to step into the 2027 governorship race to “rescue the state from the pangs of insecurity and economic strangulation.”

Excerpts:

You are a successful legal practitioner and author by every estimation. You have also reached the pinnacle of your chosen profession. What then informs your decision to enter the governorship race in Benue State?

My aspiration is not merely about ambition, but about articulating a shared vision and mission to rescue Benue State from years of insecurity and economic strangulation.

Over the past months, I have consulted with individuals, groups and the political class. The feedback from these efforts and huge support I received has encouraged me to embark on this journey to rescue Benue State from unprovoked killings, the genocide that has been going on almost on daily basis, land grabbing and state capture that has improvised the majority of our people and make the state a huge joke.

The worsening insecurity and economic strangulation are the primary reasons behind my intention to govern the state. Persistent and unprovoked attacks by armed groups, especially in rural communities had created a humanitarian crisis that required decisive leadership. We are surrounded by armed groups who are eliminating our people. This situation is unacceptable. The state must rise against insecurity through effective governance and coordinated security response.

There is economic stagnation in the state and if you provide security and good governance, investment will follow. I will create partnership that benefit investors and the Benue State government, while ensuring massive employment opportunities for our youths.

I recalled vividly, a chilling incident in Naka, Gwer- West Local Government Area, where a mother was murdered yet her baby still hung onto her breast sucking as if the mother was alive. This image has been tormenting me since. Our attackers are in the forest and when President Bola Tinubu indirectly said governors should raise Forest Guards to smoke them out of the forests, yet somebody is sitting here doing nothing. We write intensive articles published in the papers on the facts that what is happening is genocide and every other person is saying it is genocide, and someone else is saying it is skirmishes. It’s not funny at all. We are living in fear on our father’s land. Is that supposed to be so? The answer is capital no. So we have to sit up.

That is why I have submitted myself to enter the race. This course of action became imperative because Benue State must be rescued. I have since taken up that challenge. And I took this step because many people of goodwill urged that I have a duty to do the needful for what they think is a legacy that should be fuller and more fulfilling.

These selfless patriots include professionals, businessmen, traditional leaders, Chiefs, students, traders, market women, workers, artisans and our traditional politicians from all the three senatorial districts of the state; and an attempt to list them all will take forever.

I am motivated to join this race in order to rescue Benue State from the rot it has been experiencing not for personal interests nor the interest of a few, but for the interest of all Benue citizens. It is about stewardship , about building Benue where opportunity, innovation, and prosperity are accessible to all. I am eyeing the governorship position to strengthen accountability, transparency, and service delivery.

It’s time to restore hope and dignity back to our people who are presently disillusioned. I commit to providing the required leadership that will inspire all Benue citizens to be the best they can be, and in a manner that will enable each and everyone to pursue their legitimate individual and group interests and achieve their set goals.

If you have conscience and you watch a people live in a fate worse than death, then your spirit must be broken. Being a witness of unprovoked killings and acts of genocide against the people of Benue State, being a witness to massive and crushing poverty in a state globally acclaimed as ‘The Food Basket of the Nation’, and being a witness and recipient of complaints from various quarters that family have been rendered homeless in their fathers lands, then your conscience will kill you if you don’t take actions that will bring an end to these terrible happenings and restore hope and dignity of the state.

Year 2027 offers a new opportunity by our democratic process to have a new management that can transform Benue and bring happy days back to all; rich and poor, male and female, urban and rural, young and old. We must seize this opportunity.

Your entry into the race has raised questions about the controversial political arraignment of zoning that aims to rotate political offices among the state’s diverse zones. Don’t you think this move is against the principle of zoning, which is an unwritten but respected gentleman’s agreement aimed at fostering unity and fairness, mutual respect and inclusive governance among various intermediate blocs in the state?

Well my simple answer to the question is that the zoning arrangement has been inconsistently applied over the years, resulting in imbalances. Let me point out to you that a closer examination of Benue political history reveals an imbalance in the application of the zoning system. Former governors Aper Aku governed for four years and three months; Rev. Moses Orshio Adasu for one year, 10 months and 17 days; Gabriel Suswam served for eight years; and Governor Alia is expected to complete a four-year tenure.

All these leaders hail from Zone A, amounting to a cumulative total of about 18 years and 17 days in power.

Zone B, represented by former governors George Akume and Samuel Ortom, has governed for a combined 16 years, with each serving a single eight-year term. This track record reveals an inequitable political arrangement.

In addition, recent political decisions and appointments by Governor Alia had effectively weakened the zoning in the state. Example is the allocation of the Vandeikya Local Government Area Chairmanship to Kyan instead of Tiev, the Kwande Chairmanship to Shangev-Ya instead of Turan, and the relocation of the Speaker’s position from Jemgbah to the MINDA bloc.

So once zoning is weakened in governance, it cannot be rigidly resurrected to disqualify aspirants during elections. It means therefore that any of the zones is qualified to produce the next governor provided the candidate demonstrates competence, acceptability and vision.

The point here is that democracy thrives on an open competition and that restricting leadership to zones undermines merit and popular choice. Therefore, the next phase of Benue politics should focus more on capacity, unity, and development rather than sectional calculations.

Some people see you as a professional lawyer rather than a politician. Don’t you see yourself as a political neophyte?

What many people do not know is that I am a grassroot politician, widely recognised in Benue State. I am not an accidental politician who engages in false generosity and development when seeking office. I am contesting the 2027 governorship under divine guidance, aiming to correct the wrongs and impressions created by the incumbent governor.

For many years, I have engaged in philanthropic services in the area of legal services to my people and award of scholarships to people across party lines, regardless of tribe or religion, even at post graduate levels.