EXPOSED: Gov. Alia’s Alleged N700 Million Bribe Plot to Influence Benue LG Election Petitions

Fresh revelations have surfaced on how an alleged N700 million bribery scheme aimed at manipulating local government election petition judgments in Benue State collapsed under the watch of Governor Hyacinth Alia.

According to reliable sources, Governor Alia reportedly ordered the arrest and detention of one Sam Agah from Kwande Local Government over the failure of a covert operation intended to sway tribunal verdicts in favour of the ruling camp. Agah is said to have received N300 million as an initial payment to facilitate the compromise of judges overseeing the LG election petitions.

Sources close to the matter confirmed that this move followed Governor Alia’s unsuccessful attempt to oust the Benue State Chief Judge, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, who was seen as a stumbling block to the plan. With the failure of that move, the governor allegedly activated a “Plan B” — funneling funds through a backchannel to influence judicial outcomes.

Agah reportedly entered the picture through a woman named Ngufan, who brokered the deal under the guise of a rice supply contract to the state government. The first tranche of N300 million was released via the former Special Adviser on Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dennis Akura, with an additional N400 million promised later.

However, following the unfavorable rulings in many of the petitions, Governor Alia is said to have demanded a refund. Agah, on his part, claimed the funds were used to distribute rice during the Christmas period — as per the original contract.

When the refund didn’t materialize, Alia allegedly involved the police. Agah is currently being detained, while both Akura and a senior state judge have been invited for questioning at the Force Intelligence Department (FID) of the Nigerian Police Headquarters in Abuja on May 22.

In a further twist, credible insiders claim that Governor Alia quietly arrived in Abuja with N3 billion from the Benue State treasury in a renewed attempt to “buy” favorable judgments at the Local Government Election Appeal Tribunal.

The governor is reportedly desperate to prevent any of the 23 local councils from slipping into the political camp of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume. Analysts believe Alia’s concern stems from his direct and opaque control over local government allocations, which could be exposed if independent chairmen loyal to Akume take office.

As these events continue to unfold, FirstTVOnline.com will provide verified updates as more information becomes available.