Suspended Catholic priest clinches APC guber ticket in Benue

Hyacinth Alia, a suspended priest in the Catholic Diocese of Gboko, Benue State, has emerged the winner of the just concluded All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship primary election in Benue state. Alia was suspended by the church after he joined the governorship race and picked the nomination forms of the ruling party.

The priest was relieved of his duties temporarily on the grounds of the canon laws of the Catholic church which condemned participation in partisan politics.

He has now defeated Barnabas Gemade, a former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; and Mike Aondoakaa, a former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) with over 7,000 votes