Senate Minority Leader and Senator representing Benue South, Abba Moro, has accused Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia of centralising power and sidelining political appointees by personally controlling key government functions.
Speaking on Democracy Today, a programme aired on African Independent Television (AIT) on Tuesday, Moro criticised the governor’s leadership style, alleging that major decisions in the state are made solely by Alia, leaving commissioners and other officials with little or no authority.
“If these people are angry with him, if people are not happy with him, as a leader, it is his duty to call people and say, ‘Look, this is our state. Let’s build it together,'” Moro said.
He further claimed that governance in Benue had become overly personalised.
“People look at Benue State as a church, as a pulpit where instructions come from only one person,” he stated.
The former Minister of Interior alleged that Governor Alia had effectively assumed the responsibilities of several top government officials.
“Governor Alia is the Accountant General of Benue State. He’s the Finance Commissioner of Benue State. He’s the Commissioner for Works in Benue State,” Moro said.
He challenged residents to assess the level of responsibility assigned to political appointees, insisting that many of them have been stripped of meaningful duties.
“Conduct a discreet survey and see whether these appointees have anything to do,” he added.
Moro also cited his experiences during visits to internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, arguing that the governor’s commissioners lack the financial authority to respond to humanitarian emergencies.
He recalled an incident in which a commissioner announced a donation of ₦150,000 to be shared among three IDP camps.
“I told the Honourable Commissioner, ‘If all you want to spend is ₦150,000, come privately.’ I went and gave him the money because it was an emergency,” Moro said, describing the situation as evidence of the limited powers available to commissioners.
The senator further recounted another visit to an IDP camp, where he claimed the Deputy Governor pledged ₦1 million to soldiers involved in combating insecurity.
“The Deputy Governor doesn’t have ₦1,000,000 to spend. That is a pathetic situation in the state,” he alleged.
Governor Alia’s administration has not publicly responded to Moro’s claims.
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