Hycinth Alia, now suspended priest of the Catholic Diocese of Gboko in Benue state, has emerged winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in North-central state.
He emerged candidate of the party through the direct mode of primary elections as adopted by the party leadership in the food basket state.
Alia polled a total of 526,807 votes to defeat his close rival, Matthias Byuan who scored 133,816 votes while Sam Ode, former minister of Niger Delta Affairs came third with 79,369 votes.
Peter Ojie, chairman of the APC governorship primary election committee for Benue made the declaration at the state secretariat of the party in Makurdi on Saturday night.
The suspended priest will slug it out with his main challenger, Titus Uba, speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election.
If elected at the general election, Alia will be the second Catholic priest to become governor of the north-central state and in Nigeria, after the late Moses Adasu.
He was suspended from sacred duties in the build up to the APC primary election by William Avenya, Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Gboko for his involvement in partisan politics.
Avenya in a letter to the priests and religious said: “I write to communicate to you the suspension of my priest, Revd. Fr. Hyacinth lormem Alia from public ministry after series of admonitions to him Ex can. 1371, 2° CIC.
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“The Mother Church does not allow her clerics to get involved in partisan politics on their own Ex can, 285, 3 CIC.
“This canonical suspension takes effect from the moment it is communicated to him and lasts until he ceases from contumacy.”
Ordained a Catholic priest in 1995, Alia holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sacred Theology awarded by the Urbaniana University, Rome; Master of Arts Degree in Religious Education (Psychology and Counseling) from
Fordham University, USA; Master of Arts and Doctorate Degrees in Biomedical Ethics from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Known for his healing ministry, the Benue born Catholic priest had worked in many places both home and abroad where he had been, Director of Pastoral Services, Catholic Health Services, North Campus Lauderdale Lakes, Florida USA, Chaplain, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Coordinator and Chaplain, Jamaica Hospital and Medical Queens, New York, Parochial Vicar, Immaculate Conception Parish Astoria and Our Lady of the Cenacle Parish Richmond Hill Queens in New York.
At home, Alia served variously as, parochial vicar, St John’s Parish Gboko, Assistant Cathedral Administrator, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral Makurdi, Parish Priest, St Jude’s Parish Koti-Yough, Parish Priest St Thomas Parish Anum Makurdi, Parish Priest Christ the King Parish Adi Etilo and was the Project Director of the proposed Catholic University, Vandeikya in Benue state before his foray into politics.
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