Benue State Governor Alia Dismisses Petition Written Against Him To Pope Leo XVI

Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has dismissed a petition filed against him by Joseph Waya, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 election. Alia described the petition as being based on gossip and personal spite, and..  Read . .More —

In his response, Alia rejected the accusations in Waya’s petition, which contained claims of corruption and allegations of violence and intimidation aimed at political rivals. Waya criticized Alia for not only underperforming after over two years in office but also for acting in ways that have tarnished the reputation of his predecessors. Waya further stated that the state has fallen into despair, with resentment spreading beyond politics to the Church itself.

The petition, dated September 1, 2025, was circulated to the media in Abuja and copied to prominent Catholic leaders, including the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria and bishops from the four Catholic dioceses in Benue. Waya claimed that Alia’s actions have damaged the reputation of the Catholic Church in Nigeria.

In response, Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, urged the public to ignore the petition, labeling it a product of frustration. He called on the citizens to continue supporting Alia’s efforts to steer Benue toward progress.

“The attention of the Benue public has been drawn to a petition authored by Mr. Joseph Waya, the 2023 APGA gubernatorial candidate, and addressed to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, alleging misconduct on the part of His Excellency, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, Governor of Benue State.

“For starters, this petition, measured from all Perimeters, is built on gossip and personal bitterness, and needs not be given any response.

“However, given its mischievous intent to mislead the public on who Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia is, and drag the Catholic Church into partisan politics, it is necessary to set the records straight.

“A glance at the allegations put forward by this aggrieved politician indicate their lack of credibility.

“For a matter as serious as financial misconduct, it is amusing that the petitioner chooses to rely on “Zebra Reporters”, an online blog, when the proper authorities to make such findings from should be the Auditor-General’s reports, budget performance documents, and anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC.

“In Waya’s wild goose-chasing petition, none of these institutions is referenced as having indicted the governor. Therefore, it is not out of place to view his petition as the product of hearsay and personal opinion, which naturally collapses under the weight of its own contradictions when tested against facts and logic.

“Furthermore, the claim that there are no meaningful projects on the ground is a complete misrepresentation of reality as the Alia administration has executed numerous people -oriented projects within just two years,” the statement read in parts.

Governor Alia also stated that the petition revealed Waya has become entirely disconnected from the current realities of his state and community…. Read ..Full.. Article.. .