Maku denies plot to lure Alia to PDP, says Benue governance tour was non-partisan

DDM News

Former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has denied reports linking him to a plot involving Governor Hyacinth Alia.

He described the reports as politically motivated and false, urging the public to disregard the claims completely, Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reports.

Maku issued a statement on Wednesday in Abuja to clarify the intention behind his recent Good Governance Tour in Benue.

He stated that the tour was a non-partisan effort aimed at promoting development and effective governance across political parties.

“My attention has been drawn to a misleading report alleging a plot to lure Governor Alia from APC to PDP,” he said.

“This claim is entirely false, malicious, and should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves,” Maku added.

According to him, the tour’s main objective is to shift political leaders’ attention from power struggles to service delivery.

He emphasized that development, not politics, was the focus of the initiative, which involved assessing projects in various states.

“It is a sincere, non-partisan initiative,” he said, warning against attempts to politicize the governance tour.

He also mentioned that the Good Governance Tour began during his time as Minister of Information.

The tour was originally designed to assess and highlight development projects across Nigeria, regardless of party affiliation.

Maku recalled that former Minister Jerry Gana undertook a similar media tour during his tenure in office.

He said the tours aimed to help public officials prioritize their mandate of serving citizens over political quarrels.

“At that time, we saw too much political noise and not enough focus on people’s needs,” Maku explained.

He said the tour helped leaders refocus on their responsibilities and address pressing development issues.

While in office, Maku said he led media tours to states controlled by different political parties.

According to him, many governors welcomed the initiative and found it beneficial for their governance agenda.

“Several state governors confessed that the tour prompted them to take their development agenda more seriously,” he said.

He added that the current governance climate in Nigeria motivated him to revive the initiative after leaving office.

“Our political space is now dominated by insults and wrangling, with little focus on genuine development,” Maku lamented.

To revive the tour, he said he collaborated with professionals including Mike Omeri, former NOA Director-General.

“We approached leaders from all parties and asked permission to assess and publicize their developmental projects,” he said.

Maku revealed that Governor Hyacinth Alia was the first to officially invite the team to Benue State.

He stressed that there was no plan to persuade Governor Alia to defect from the APC to the PDP.

“Let me be clear: no part of our mission in Benue involved persuading Governor Alia to switch parties,” Maku stated.

He described claims suggesting otherwise as “absolute fiction” and urged the public not to be misled.

“Those who know him understand that he is focused on service, not desperate for 2027 politics,” Maku said.

He praised Alia’s commitment to development and urged critics not to distract the governor from his work.

“We appeal to detractors not to use this tour to derail the governor’s commendable efforts,” Maku said.

He reaffirmed that the initiative remains a professional, non-political effort to promote development in Nigeria.

Maku concluded by expressing hope that the tour would inspire more leaders to prioritize meaningful service to the people.

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