POLITICS
Demolition: PDP Rep Aspirant Accuses Benue Govt of Selective Justice
From Attah Ede, Makurdi
House of Representatives aspirant for Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections, under the platform of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Benue State, Dr.
Emmanuel Shior, has accused Governor Hyacinth Alia of engaging in alleged destruction of properties belonging to members of opposition parties.Shior condemned the demolition of his business premises, Verlush Restaurant and Lounge, by the Benue State Urban Development Board, on the directive of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The former executive secretary, State Emergency Management Agency, alleged that the state government had perpetually targeted business facility of members of the opposition in the state, adding that other businesses located along the same lane belonging to members of his political party (APC) were left undestroyed, an indication that the enforcement was selective.
Responding to the allegations, the Acting General Manager, State Urban Development Board, Ternongo Mede, claimed that the owner of the lounge was served notice for demolition on November 20, 2025.
But a member of Dr. Shior Media Team, Tivta Samuel Aondohemba in a statement in Makurdi on Sunday, insisted that the enforcement was deliberate and targeted at Dr. Shior, as a member of the opposition party in the state.
He maintained that his principal would seek legal redress, in order to get justice, saying that the premises housing the facility was duly approved by the Benue State Urban Development Board.
Aondohemba lamented that while the demolition was conducted in the night, without prior notice, it did not give staff of the facility room to evacuate a single item from the lounge, including equipment, furniture, documents, and goods which were completely destroyed as the bulldozers rolled in.
“We wish to formally inform the public of the targeted and politically motivated demolition of Verlush Restaurant and Lounge, a business premises dully approved by the Benue State Urban Development Board and owned by the 2027 PDP aspirant for Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency Dr. Emmanuel Shior, carried out on the 21st November, 2025 in Makurdi on the direct orders of the Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia.
“It is on record that the Governor personally visited the Business premises, pointed at the structure and instructed that the structure should be brought down in 30 minutes.
“Consequently, 10 minutes after he (Alia) left, officials of the Board arrived with heavily armed security personnel and bulldozers and immediately commenced demolition without any notice, explanation, or opportunity to salvage property.
“The staff of the Restaurant were not allowed to remove a single item. Equipment, furniture, documents, and goods were completely destroyed as the bulldozers moved in”, he alleged.
“It is highly suspicious that other businesses along the same lane including Star Shawarma were left untouched, clearly indicating selective enforcement and a deliberate attempt to target Dr. Shior as a member of the opposition and a PDP aspirant for Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency.
“To this moment, no official reason has been provided by the Alia administration or the Urban Development Board”, the statement said.
According to him, the destruction of the facility and the current state of insecurity bedeviling the state is a challenge too many.
“At a time when insecurity is ravaging Benue State, with countless communities under attack and citizens living in fear, we are deeply concerned that Governor Alia has chosen to deploy state power, security operatives, and government machinery to harass political opponents rather than protect the lives of the people he swore to serve.
“We strongly condemn this unlawful, vindictive, and undemocratic action, which represents a grave abuse of state authority and a disturbing attempt to intimidate members of the opposition.
“We call on well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations, democratic institutions, and the international community to take note of this growing pattern of state-sponsored intimidation in Benue State.”
He however stressed that “We remain committed to seeking legal redress and defending the principles of justice, democracy, and the rule of law.”
Meanwhile, the Acting General Manager, Benue State Urban Development Board, Ternongo Mede, in response to the allegations said, “I served them on 20th of this month (November), 2025, we went and marked the place, served them demolition and marked the place for demolition.
“Coincidentally, His excellency passed there the following day which was Thursday.
“It was at that point he (Alia) called me to know why activity was there and I replied that we have served them and marked the place for demolition. But I told him we don’t have a moving vehicle to execute the demolition so he told me that he wanted me to do it (demolition) before the following morning and if I don’t I would be in trouble.
He called me around 5:30pm and I had to move there to carry out the directive”, he said.
By David Torough, Abuja
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised President Bola Tinubu over the removal of petrol subsidy, accusing the administration of worsening economic hardship while retaining what he described as opaque costs in the petroleum sector.
In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said Tinubu was wrong to describe his proposed petroleum-sector intervention as economically ignorant.
Atiku argued that the economic conditions that existed before Tinubu assumed office had changed significantly following the removal of fuel subsidy, the floating of the naira and rising inflation.
He said his proposal was not a return to the previous open-ended subsidy regime but a targeted, capped, budgeted and time-bound production-support mechanism that would be independently audited and linked to domestic production.
According to him, the government removed the benefit of subsidy from consumers while allegedly retaining substantial petroleum-sector under-recoveries and energy-security costs.
The statement cited figures from NNPC’s audited accounts, claiming approximately ₦17.5 trillion in energy-security costs and petroleum under-recoveries, including about ₦7.13 trillion classified as energy security and ₦8.67 trillion in under-recoveries.
“If subsidy is dead, why are under-recoveries alive?” Atiku asked, arguing that Nigerians had been left with higher costs while questions about government expenditure remained unresolved.
He also rejected the Presidency’s argument that increased Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) disbursements to states represented a major benefit of subsidy removal.
Atiku said higher allocations to state governments should not be celebrated if they came at the expense of household purchasing power, citing rising transport costs, food prices and production expenses.
He further argued that increased FAAC allocations could encourage states to depend on federal transfers instead of expanding their productive economies, attracting investment and broadening their internally generated revenues.
The former vice president also demanded explanations for what he described as approximately ₦30 trillion in Federation Account revenues, deductions, savings and transfers, as well as ₦12.8 trillion allocated to the Service-Wide Vote in the 2026 budget.
Atiku said the administration should provide greater transparency over its finances rather than dismissing criticism of its economic policies.
He maintained that the success of economic reform should not be measured solely by rising government revenues while citizens experience declining purchasing power.
“The real ignorance is believing suffering is economic policy,” Atiku said.
He accused the Tinubu administration of transferring the burden of fiscal adjustment to ordinary Nigerians and warned against subjecting the country to another four years of what he called a failed economic experiment.
The statement was signed by Shaibu on behalf of Atiku, the 1999–2007 vice president and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has cautioned Nigerian youths against being used for political violence, misinformation and digital intimidation ahead of the 2027 general elections across the country.
Disu gave the warning on Thursday in Abuja during the National Youth Leadership and Security Dialogue organised by the Nigeria Police Force to commemorate the 2026 International Youth Day celebration.
According to him, as we approach the 2027 electoral cycle, I urge you to remember a very simple, but profound reality that politicians contest elections, but you leave with consequences thereafter.
”He said that political actors often reconciled after elections, in spite of fierce campaigns, and might later become allies and guests of one another when political disagreements were resolved amicably over time.
Disu said the Nigeria Police Force recognised and respected the rights of youths to participate in politics, support parties, express opinions and campaign freely for candidates of their choice.
“Our responsibility is to create a security environment in which these democratic rights can be experienced freely and safely.
“We will protect citizens, facilitate peaceful campaigns, secure candidates, campaign venues and public spaces within the law.
“We will protect the integrity of the electoral environment, but will not protect violence, tolerate the recruitment or mobilisation of young Nigerians for political violence.
“I therefore appeal to everybody to be cautious as we approach the 2027 electoral process,” Disu said, urging collective responsibility in safeguarding peace and democratic values across Nigeria.
The police chief also urged youths to become drivers of national transformation rather than instruments of destruction through the spread of false information and harmful online content.
According to him, every young Nigerian using a smartphone should recognise that digital activities leave permanent records that could influence opportunities and shape future prospects significantly.
“You know now, the moment you go to the embassies for your visa, they are checking you on social media to see what and what you are doing.
“So, your footprints are very important, so before you forward a message, verify it and before you publish or circulate, establish the facts,” he advised youths nationwide.
The Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) has called for immediate prosecution of all those found to have committed electoral crimes during last Saturday’s Osun governorship election.
The organisation, in a statement by its Executive Secretary, Dr Yemisi Bamgbose in Abuja on Thursday, said that the prosecution would serve as a deterrent to others.
Bamgbose also congratulated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of a transparent, free, fair and credible governorship election in the state.
According to him, INEC, under Prof.
Joash Amupitan, has passed the real litmus test in Osun.He said that the outcome of the election, if improved upon, could serve as a model for subsequent elections in the country.
“INEC deserves commendation for deploying all that was required to ensure the realisation of a free and fair election,” he said.
Bamgbose also commended security agencies for providing adequate security which, he said, helped to minimise tension and criminality during the election.
“It is imperative that INEC ensures the prosecution of all persons who perpetrated electoral crimes to serve as a deterrent to others.
“We therefore call on INEC and other relevant agencies to ensure strict enforcement of electoral laws and prosecution of all offenders,” Bamgbose said.
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