The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia has stated that he is not responsible for the protest held against the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpembese, for relocating the Benue Local Government Election Petitions Tribunal from Benue to Abuja.
Naija News reports that hundreds of protesters from Benue State took to the streets of Abuja on Monday for a peaceful protest from the National Assembly to the Supreme Court to express their outrage over the Benue CJ’s decision.
Justice Ikpembese had on March 5 ordered the relocation of the Benue Local Government Election Petitions Tribunal from Benue to Abuja, citing safety concerns.
The Benue State Government, through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Fidelis Mnyim, had questioned the CJ’s unilateral decision, noting that neither the governor nor his office had been formally notified.
However, speaking to Punch on Monday, Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, distanced his principal from the protest against the CJ.
Tersoo said, “How can the government sponsor a protest when people listen to the news and read papers and they are enlightened and might have seen how court cases turned political?
“The government stands to gain nothing in sponsoring a protest; rather it is focused on channeling resources to infrastructural development in the state.
“It’s unfortunate that the state Chief Judge has to go public, that he selected tough people to sit on election petition tribunal.”
