Daniel Onjeh, APC chieftain in Benue and 2023 Benue South Senatorial Candidate, has dismissed Senator Patrick Abba Moro’s claim that no Benue governor has ever disliked the Idoma people as much as Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia.

In a statement on Wednesday, Onjeh described Moro’s comments as “ill-informed, malicious, and deliberate misinformation aimed at misleading the public and inciting unnecessary ethnic tensions.”

The former Chairman of the PRODA Governing Board argued that Moro’s claim is “completely misplaced,” noting that Governor Alia has demonstrated greater inclusion, commitment, and genuine concern for Benue South in just two years than PDP-led administrations did in the preceding 16 years.

“No leader who hates a people would entrust them with key ministries such as Finance, Education, Water Resources, Information, Women Affairs, and the Office of the Head of Service,” Onjeh said, highlighting the appointment of competent sons and daughters of Benue South to these positions.

Onjeh also cited ongoing development projects across the zone, including:

• Oju–Achoho Road
• Igumale–Agila Road
• Community roads and the Otobi Water Works
• Oju–Awajir Road (52 km)
• Obagaji–Okokolo–Agagbe Road (43.5 km)
• Igumale–Agila Road (31.2 km)
• Aliade–Mbakine–Obarike–Ito Road (36 km, upcoming)

He emphasised that these projects, alongside the administration’s policies, have revived the Benue economy in measurable ways, easing hardship for artisans, farmers, traders, and SMEs.

Onjeh also revealed that during a nearly three-hour phone conversation with Governor Alia, more than 90 percent of the discussion focused on Benue South, demonstrating the governor’s sincerity and attention to the zone.

“What determines the quality of leadership is policy direction, and on this score, Governor Alia got it right,” Onjeh concluded.