Why I dumped priesthood for politics, influential APC governor speaks

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue state has opened up on what informed his decision to join the Nigerians politics.

In an interview with The Nation published on Saturday, March 30, Alia said one of the major reasons why he dumped the priesthood for politics was "to save the poor masses of Benue."

Alia, who had spent l 33 years as a priest, added that the aim of the church is to save souls, which is also another reason why he left the ministry "to take on the headache of governance."

How Alia won Benue governorship election

Recall that on Monday, March 21, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressive Congress (APC) the Benue state governor-elect.

Alia cruised to a landslide victory after scoring 473,933 votes ahead of his rival Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 223,913.

Alia's priestly figure and popularity handed him the victory at the polls.

Speaking further on how Anambra state governor Chukwuma Soludo's question and the church prompted his decision to join partisan politics, Governor Alia opined thus:

"Many people have asked similar questions. But the one that thrilled me most was Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, who taunted me at a time, asking why I temporarily left the cassock to take on the headache of governance. I told him that the answer is quite simple. The church generally has an aim, which is to save souls. The church does not want people to be lost. The aim of my coming into partisan politics is exactly to fulfill that purpose. I came in to save the poor masses of Benue.

"Before my advent into partisan politics, too many things were wrong. I had lived a functional 33 years as a priest with my locals. I’ve been in the trenches with them, and the people I love working for the most are the destitute, the poor masses, those who do not have a voice in our society, who are oppressed, suppressed and neglected. God loves everyone and He does not want anybody, particularly the vulnerable groups in any society, abandoned and lost. These are the people that I felt were never cared for."