Catholic Priest; Fr. Hyacinth Alia Wins Benue State Governor Election. Who Will Be The First Lady?

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared a Catholic Priest; Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia (the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC)) in Benue State, as the winner of the March 18 poll and the Governor-Elect.

The Catholic priest won 473,933 votes ahead of his closest rival and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Titus Uba, who scored 223,913.

The Returning Officer, Prof Faruq Kuta and Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Minna declared Alia the winner.

Alia, who is a member of the ruling APC, is expected to take over from Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP G5.

So far, the results of 20 governorship polls have been announced. The APC takes the lead with 14 states, the PDP with five states and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) with one state. The election in Kebbi was declared inconclusive by the electoral body while the collation of the results of governorship polls in Abia and Enugu was suspended.

Officially, nine of the 11 governors who sought reelection in the March 18 polls held across Nigeria in West Africa have been declared winners by INEC to return to office for another four-year term each.

They include Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State.

Of the 28 states, 11 serving governors sought reelection while 17 outgoing governors are in the final weeks of their constitutional two-term limits of eight years, having been sworn in on May 29, 2015.

I’m not sure how this will play out since according to the Catholic Code of Canon Law, no. 285 subsection 3, “Clerics are forbidden to assume public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power.”

Then Canon 287 says, “They are not to have an active part in political parties and in governing labor unions unless, in judgment of competent ecclesiastical authority, the protection of the rights of the Church or the promotion of the common good requires it.”

So again, it is either he leaves the priesthood or his bishop with the conference of Catholic bishops of Nigeria think that he needs to serve in this capacity for the promotion of the common good, which I doubt. There are other competent people out there who can run the office of a governor and not a Catholic priest.

Catholic priests are not allowed to marry, the question on everybody’s lips is “Who will be the first lady”