Gov. Alia Bringing Bad Image To Catholic Church, YPP Candidate Tells Pope Leo

Candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in the 2023 Benue State governorship election, Mr. Joseph Waya, has told Pope Leo XIV that the state Governor Hyacinth Alia is bringing bad image to the Catholic Church.

Alia was sworn in as Benue State governor on May 29, 2023. He is the second ordained priest of the Catholic Church to rule the state. The first was Fr. Moses Adasu who is now late.

Waya who contested against Alia, then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 governorship election, accused the governor of poor governance and derailing from the teachings of the church.

In a letter dated September 1, 2025 and addressed to the pope, which submitted through the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty, the representative of the Holy See in Nigeria, the YPP candidate told the pope that the people of Benue State “who are overwhelmingly Christian with a Catholic majority, elected Rev. Fr. Alia, primarily because they had grown disillusioned with traditional politicians who made extensive campaign promises but delivered little once in office.”

Waya however regretted that “after more than two years in office, Governor Alia has not merely underperformed but has conducted himself in ways that make his secular predecessors appear virtuous by comparison.

“The state has descended into despair, and alarmingly, public resentment is beginning to extend beyond the governor to the Church itself.”

He further told the pope that though he is an established businessman and trained journalist “who has recently engaged in political affairs,” he is writing in his capacity as a concerned Catholic who feels duty-bound to defend the Church and its teachings.

Waya stated that “the governor has engaged in public conflict with the Catholic Church itself — the very institution whose reputation facilitated his election.”

Like as was the case in Fr. Adasu, Fr. Alia was suspended from clerically duties on May 20, 2022, by Bishop William Avenya of the Diocese of Gboko, because “Church Canon 287, Paragraph 2, states: Clerics are not to play an active role in political parties or in directing trade unions unless, in the judgement of competent ecclesiastical authority, this is required for the defense of the rights of the Church or to promote the common good.” The bishop said the suspension would remain in effect until Alia “ceases from contumacy.”

The YPP candidate disclosed that during his campaign, Alia “supporters publicly abused the Bishop of Makurdi for not supporting his candidacy, and this hostility has continued, with the governor systematically excluding the Church from public functions and destroying the collaborative partnership that had existed between the state and Church for years.”

He also accused the governor of underperformance, and said his actions fostered hatred, bitterness, and in some instances, actual violence amongst party members.

“Although the President of Nigeria, as the party leader, has made considerable efforts to resolve the conflict, Rev. Fr. Alia has not supported the peace process and has instead taken actions perceived as promoting hostilities.

“Furthermore, the actions initiated by the governor concerning the state judiciary resulted in the closure of the courts for several months, as a protest against his efforts to remove the state Chief Judge, with whom he had disagreements, outside of lawful procedures,” he stated.

The petitioner further alleged that “In preparation for the 2027 elections, Governor Alia has been touring the state inciting supporters to violence against potential challengers.

“He has made specific threats against contestants from the Kunav clan, reinforced by his known associates who have publicly stated that anyone daring to contest against Rev. Fr. Alia will face physical assault.

“These threats are so serious that formal petitions have been filed with security agencies, including the police and Department of State Security.

“Governor Alia has cultivated a violent group called ‘No Alia, No Benue’ and has boasted publicly that he will secure re-election by whatever means, including diabolical.

“I humbly and fervently appeal to Your Holiness to take a decisive stand regarding Rev. Fr. Alia’s role in politics and its impact upon the Church.”