Terver Akase, Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has decried alleged attacks on Catholic bishops by supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in the State, Hyacinth Alia.
In a post on his Facebook page on Monday, Akase alleged that Alia, who was a few months ago suspended as a priest of the Catholic Church for venturing into partisan politics and his supporters have been lashing insults on Bishop Williams Avenya who instituted the suspension.
According to him, supporters of the APC candidate further extended the backlash to His Lordship Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja for kicking against Alia’s involvement in partisan politics.
The post reads, “The manner in which supporters of Hyacinth Alia have been insulting Catholic Bishops in Benue State and beyond is shocking!
“They began their assaults on Bishop Williams Avenya who suspended Alia. They spent about two months heaping invectives on His Lordship the Bishop.
“Up next to receive a dose of vituperations from Alia’s supporters was His Lordship Cardinal John Onaiyekan, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja. His only “offense” was saying that a Catholic priest has no business in partisan politics where there are more than one political party. Supporters of the contumacious APC candidate spent nearly three weeks insulting Cardinal Onaiyekan.
“Now, they are insulting the Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, His Lordship Wilfred Anagbe. No day passes without the Bishop receiving verbal or written attacks from supporters of the suspended priest. Their next bus stop of insults will be His Lordship Ignatius Kaigama, the Archbishop of Abuja.
“What is even more disturbing is Alia’s silence in the face of torrential insults on his superiors. There has been no statement of caution to his supporters! He apparently is loving it.
“Whenever insults are hurled at the Bishops on campaign grounds, you’d hear him urge his supporters to yell “yes father”! Quite sad and unfortunate!
“But Alia ought to know that he is too small to destroy the Catholic Church in Benue State. The church of God has been in existence since the advent of the Ministry of Jesus Christ its founder, and no individual can bring it down to massage his vaulting political ambition. The Bishops are custodians of doctrines of the church. It is not a personal matter.
“No matter how desperate he is to become governor, I expect him to consider the prestige and reverence of the Bishops as a no-go-area”.
However, some supporters of the APC gubernatorial candidate stormed the comment section to lambast Akase, describing the allegations as false.
Commenting on the controversial post, one of the staunch supporters of Alia, Apine Teryila said, “Terver Akase, it seems the fear of staying outside of government has enveloped you the more.”
