‘Absolute fiction’ — Labaran Maku denies plot to woo Alia to PDP

Labaran Maku, former minister of information, says reports claiming that his recent good governance tour in Benue, was part of a plot to lure Hyacinth Alia, governor of the state, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are false.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, Maku said the reports were “misleading and politically motivated”.

“My attention has been drawn to a misleading and politically motivated report alleging that my participation in the recent Good Governance Tour of development projects in Benue state is a plot to facilitate the defection of Governor Hyacinth Alia from the APC to the PDP,” the statement reads.

“This claim is entirely false, malicious, and should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves.”

The former minister said the tour was a non-partisan initiative aimed at refocusing leaders across political divides on development and service delivery.

“It is an unfortunate attempt to politicise a sincere, non-partisan initiative,” he said.

“The Good Governance Tour is a professional effort designed to shift the focus of political leaders — across all parties and at all levels — away from endless political quarrels towards the urgent need for development and service delivery, particularly to the grassroots.”

Maku said the idea of a governance tour is not new and dates back to his time as minister of information.

“It began during my time as minister of information when I initiated the National Good Governance Tour as a non-partisan platform for assessing and showcasing development efforts by incumbent leaders across the country,” he said.

He said Jerry Gana, former minister of information and national orientation, also undertook a similar nationwide media tour during his tenure.

Maku said the tour aims to move political attention away from power struggles to the needs of the people.

“At that time, it became clear that our political space was dominated by power tussles, and not enough attention was being paid by political actors and the media to the real needs of the people,” he said.

“The tour helped many leaders to refocus on their core mandate, which was service to the people.”

He said while in office, he led media tours to states controlled by various political parties, and the initiative was well received.

“Several state governors confessed that the tour prompted them to take their development agenda more seriously,” he said.

He added that his concern about the current governance climate in the country informed the decision to revive the initiative.

“Since leaving office, I have remained concerned about the continued lack of priority attention to governance,” he said.

“Media coverage today is saturated with political insults, inter- and intra-party wrangling, and reports about persistent insecurity, while genuine development receives little focus.”

Maku said he collaborated with some professionals, including Mike Omeri, former director-general of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), to revive the tour.

“We have approached political leaders across party lines, requesting permission to assess and showcase their projects and policies,” he said.

“A number of them have responded positively.”

He said Alia was the first governor to officially invite them to assess projects in his state, adding that there was no attempt to persuade the governor to leave the APC.

“Let me be clear: no part of our mission to Benue state involved persuading Governor Alia to switch political parties,” he said.

“That narrative is absolute fiction. Those who know him understand that he is not driven by desperation for 2027 but by a burning desire to serve.

“We appeal to our detractors not to use the governance tour to distract Governor Alia from the commendable work he has started in Benue state.”