Benue State Governor, Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has declared that “there is no victor, no vanquished” as he was returned as winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship ticket in the state.
Although he was endorsed as a consensus candidate by the APC in Benue State prior to the primaries, his kinsman, Dr Jeffrey Kuraun, Mr Terwase Orbunde, and Dr Mathias Byuan, who left for Labour, challenged Fr. Alia for the 2027 Makurdi Government House seat.
He polled 367,786 votes to defeat his rivals, Dr Kuraun, 29,234 votes and Mr Orbunde, 3,247 votes, in a result announced by Prof Muhammed Kabiru Isa, Returning Officer, for the election.
The governor reckons those who contested against him did so in the interest of the people of Benue State and invited them to continue to join forces with him to move Benue State forward.
Fr. Alia expressed gratitude to the party faithful who voted for him and to the people of the state for their continued support of his administration.
He assured that their support means more service to the people from him.
“It is your government, and you are the government. It is my hope that your support will continue to come in, so that, as I already pledged, to ensure that progress comes in, development comes in, and human capacity comes in, God on our side as He always is, Benue must be created anew.
“For those who may have feel aggrieved with the recently concluded primaries- the House of Representatives, the Senatorial, and the State Assemblies, and then the gubernatorial (today), I crave your indulgence from the depth of my heart inviting you to see deep within your heart where we can find a common ground and come out to support and serve our people,” the governor appealed.
“I am calling on everyone to continue to give us support. I am here for service. And I am here with them and for them. Call on me; come see me anytime. Let’s talk as friends, let’s talk as brothers and sisters. Benue is larger than all of us. Let us be purpose-driven for the growth and development of the state. Stealth your words. But you will never be forgotten,” Fr. Alia promised.
