Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, has openly declared that Governor Hyacinth Alia should be voted out in 2027, insisting that Benue State deserves a more inclusive and “liberal-minded” leader.
Aondoakaa, who is seeking the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke on Sunday at a reception organised in honour of former Governor Samuel Ortom at the Judges Quarters in Makurdi.
In remarks that drew attention from attendees, Aondoakaa said, “Someone who eats alone in his house cannot be governor,” a comment many present interpreted as a veiled reference to Governor Alia’s clerical life as a Catholic priest without a wife or children.
“Come rain or shine, someone who eats alone is not fit to remain in office. Collectively, we must replace him with a liberal-minded leader,” Aondoakaa said in a video from the event that has since circulated online.
“A person that doesn’t eat food with another person can’t be governor. A person that basically, in his house, eats alone, cannot be governor. All of us aspiring to be governors, either in APC or PDP, we eat and give others.
“I have admired the humility of the leadership of this party. I’ve been working with our leader, Senator George Akume, to make sure that Benue, come 2027, is in good hands,” he added.
He also reaffirmed his political alignment with Ortom and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), describing the relationship as one built on mutual respect between Ortom, PDP leader in Benue, and Senator George Akume, APC leader in the state and the North Central.
Aondoakaa commended Ortom’s tenure as governor, saying he promoted unity, peace and inclusiveness.
Earlier, Ortom, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees, told party members that steps were underway to reconcile all factions and restore unity within the party, which he described as “one indivisible entity.”
He recalled that a court order had halted proceedings before the PDP National Convention, but some groups went ahead in defiance, resulting in a Federal High Court judgment in Ibadan that later nullified the exercise.
Ortom also admitted responsibility for the PDP’s defeat in the last governorship election, attributing it to the imposition of former Speaker Titus Uba as the party’s candidate without broad grassroots support.
He apologised to party stakeholders and pledged that future decisions would be more consultative.
Other speakers at the event, including Prof. Dennis Tysvyaar, Dr. Tersoo Loko and Hon. Ucha, praised Ortom’s leadership, while PDP governorship aspirants for 2027 pledged to emulate his leadership style.
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