By Kolawole Ojebisi
A former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has said that he has no plans to prevail on the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, to dump the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Maku stated this in a statement he personally issued and signed on Wednesday.
The ex-minister made clarifications concerning his participation in the recent Good Governance Tour of development projects in Benue State, stressing that it was “completely apolitical”.
Maku maintained that speculations trailing his visit to Benue are unjustified, adding that the move was only a “sincere, non-partisan initiative”.
L“The Good Governance Tour is a professional effort designed to shift the focus of political leaders – across all parties and at all levels – away from endless political quarrels towards the urgent need for development and service delivery, particularly to the grassroots,” Maku said in the statement.
He explained that the concept is not new, adding that it began during his time as Minister of Information, when he initiated the National Good Governance Tour as a non-partisan platform for assessing and showcasing development efforts of incumbent leaders across the country.
“Prof Jerry Gana also undertook a nationwide media tour during his time as the Minister of information and National Orientation,” he added.
“At that time, it became clear that our political space was dominated by power tussles and not enough attention was being paid by political actors and the media to the real needs of the people.
“The tour helped many leaders to refocus on their core mandate, which was service to the people.
“As sitting Minister then, I led journalists to states governed by different political parties, and the feedback was very encouraging. Several state Governors confessed that the tour prompted them to take their development agenda more seriously.
“Since leaving office, I have remained concerned about the continued lack of priority attention to governance.
“It was in response to this troubling trend that I reached out to like-minded professionals, including Dr. Mike Omeri, former DG of the National Orientation Agency, to revive the good governance tour as a tool for civic accountability and public engagement.
“We have approached political leaders across party lines, requesting permission to assess and showcase their projects and policies. A number of them have responded positively. The Governor of Benue State, Rev (Dr) Hyacinth Alia happened to be the first to officially invite us to tour his state.
“The Governance Tour of Benue was conducted transparently and broadcast across multiple media platforms. It included a lively town hall where citizens directly engaged the government, asked tough questions, and received honest answers on development and security efforts.
“We have since received a wave of positive feedback from citizens across Nigeria, many of whom are urging us to bring the good governance tour to their own states. The widespread enthusiasm underscores the importance of what we are doing.
“Let me be clear: No part of our mission to Benue State involved persuading Governor Alia to switch political parties. That narrative is absolute fiction. Those who know him understand that he is not driven by desperation for 2027, but by a burning desire to serve.
“We are far more interested in promoting development initiatives and concrete service delivery by our leaders than in the endless cycle of political scheming and bitter power games.”
Maku was responding to the widespread speculations that governor Alia had engaged him into his media team,as a Consultant following the recent tour.
The tour, together with the purported appointment, was interpreted in political circles as a calculated signal of realignment by the Benue governor.
