The Benue State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that recent appointments by the State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, were against the federal character principle.
In a statement issued by the party and signed by its Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, the party lamented another appointment made this morning where Kunav man, Raymond Asemakaha, was announced as the MD/CEO of the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC).
The party in the statement said:
“It has become necessary to raise protestation over Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia’s appointment of mostly persons from his Kunav clan as heads of MDAs in the state.
“Only this morning the governor through his Chief Press Secretary announced the appointment of another Kunav man, Raymond Asemakaha, as MD/CEO of the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC).
“The appointment of Mr. Asemakaha at BIPC adds to the growing list of Kunav sons heading such bodies as the Benue Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs which has another Kunav son heading the Committee at the State Assembly which oversights it.
“Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state finds this development unacceptable as it blatantly negates the intendment of the principle of Federal Character enshrined in the constitution to ensure inclusivity of all component parts of the state in the holding and wielding of the powers and influence vested in such sensitive positions as listed above.
“PDP is mindful that while merit is a consideration for making appointments into key and sensitive positions, Benue State is indeed in all its component parts endowed with an abundance of competent persons to man the various offices of public trust.
“The preference by the governor for choosing mostly persons from his Kunav clan for appointment into the powerful public offices under his administration certainly does not bode well for unity, harmony and public partnership necessary for the much sought after progress of the state.
“PDP urges Governor Alia to borrow a leaf from the wisdom deployed under previous administrations when there was never such a concentration of power and influence in just one out of the numerous clans in the state.”