A former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Shippers’ Council, Mr Emmanuel Jime has apologised for his comment, saying he meant to refer to Benue State Governor, Fr. Hyacinth Alia, as “this thing.”
Mr Jime was speaking at his birthday, graced by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and other guests at his Abuja residence, when he characterised the governor as “this thing.”
The characterisation has sparked uproar, with some analysts saying Mr Jime is angry because he did not secure the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the 2027 Benue North West Senatorial District election.
However, Mr Jime, in a post on his Meta account, said: “The reference to ‘this thing that is afflicting us’ was uncharacteristic and beneath me, and I deeply regret the insinuation that I have descended so low in referencing our Governor, Rev Fr Alia, in this manner.”
He explained that the import of his statement that he “stands by is to the effect that no man born of a woman can take out Sen George Akume, whose leadership I affirm. Accordingly, I offer my unreserved apologies to all who have found my statement offensive in that context.”
Meanwhile, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, has said that “As a former Speaker and a two-term member of the National Assembly, who is well versed in protocol and the dignity accorded to holders of high public office, he should exercise restraint and accord the office of the Governor the respect it deserves, irrespective of political differences.”
While rejecting Mr Jime’s Meta post as “an insincere apology,” the CPS demands that “Jime apologise specifically to Governor Hyacinth Alia and the people of Benue state, not only to ‘some of you who found that offensive.'”
