The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has called on the State Governor, Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia, to give s detailed account on how he spent N44 billion in special intervention grants received from the Federal Government between August 2023 to 2024.

Through its State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, the opposition party in the state made the call in response to the submission made by Senator Tilley Gyado, the leader of the All Progressive Congress in the state, stating that the state had received N44 billion in intervention funds over the previous nine months.

Speaking on Sunday at the APC stakeholders meeting in Makurdi, Gyado enumerated the N9 billion in infrastructure funding, the N30 billion sub-national intervention funds, and the N5 billion post-subsidy removal money as the special intervention monies accruing to the state.

More so, the state government and other states have denied receipt of N30 billion as purported by the Senate President, Senator Godwin Akpabio.

Wakadaily gathered that, Michael Oglegba, the state Commissioner for Finance and Budget Planning, had disclose that there were some interventions received from the Federal Government but denied the N30 billion intervention fund.

The state PDP referred to the APC leader’s statement as “shocking,” claiming that the governor had not disclosed the receipt of any such funds, with the exception of the post-subsidy removal (palliatives) fund, which, following intense pressure from our side, he had acknowledged receiving N2 billion in part but had since kept quiet about the remaining N3 billion.

“If there was a N9 billion infrastructure fund and a N30 billion Sub-national intervention fund, the people of Benue State are only getting to know about it from the APC statement, and this by all standards of transparency and accountability is unacceptable.

“PDP is saddened that this non-disclosure of N44 billion federal intervention grants by Governor Alia reinforces his policy of concealment and disregard for due process and the rule of law which underpin a style of governance that is in character a sole administratorship.”

The opposition party asked the governor to come explained and disclose how he had spent the N44 billion special grants, as to do otherwise would be to thicken further the cloud of suspicions hovering over his administration.