Ortom: Alia Is Suspended Priest, Stop Linking His Actions to God
Makurdi, Nigeria—September 14, 2026—Former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has ignited fresh debate by declaring that current Governor Hyacinth Alia is not an active Catholic priest and was suspended from priestly duties long before he assumed office.
Speaking in a television interview and through his media aide, Ortom urged Nigerians to stop attributing Alia’s style of governance to God.
He insisted the governor remains under canonical suspension and cannot celebrate Mass.
“Alia is only deceiving people that he’s a Catholic priest, whereas he is not. Alia was suspended even before he became governor. Many people did not know. He is a suspended priest,” Ortom stated.
He further questioned the healing ministry Alia once operated, while describing the governor as his “brother” and “junior brother.”
Ortom stressed that his criticism centres on what he called deceit, hypocrisy, and poor governance rather than personal animosity.
The 2022 Suspension by the Catholic Church
Historical records confirm that Bishop William Avenya of the Catholic Diocese of Gboko suspended then-Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia from public sacred ministry on May 20, 2022.
The bishop cited Church law (Canon 285 §3), which bars clerics from active participation in partisan politics without proper ecclesiastical approval.
The suspension letter stated that Alia had purchased the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship nomination form against the Church’s vocation rules.
The ban took effect immediately and was to last until Alia “ceases from contumacy.”
Supporters of Alia have long maintained that the suspension only restricts public celebration of Mass and other public ministries; he remains a priest for life and can resume full duties after leaving public office.
Alia went on to win the APC primary and the 2023 governorship election, becoming one of the few Catholic priests in Nigeria’s history to rise to the position of state governor.
Context of the Latest Clash
Ortom’s remarks come amid strained relations between the two men. The former governor also defended his decision to make a vehicle available to Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi during Obi’s recent visit to Benue to console victims of the Yelewata massacre.
Ortom described the gesture as basic hospitality and courtesy, insisting it did not contradict his public support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Alia’s Chief Press Secretary, Kula Tersoo, had earlier questioned why Ortom would assist a rival candidate. Ortom’s camp responded that the Alia administration was politicizing a humanitarian act.
Broader Political Undertones
The exchange highlights lingering tensions in Benue politics more than three years after Alia succeeded Ortom.
Ortom has repeatedly criticized the current administration’s accessibility, governance style, and treatment of political opponents.
Alia’s supporters, meanwhile, portray the former governor’s comments as politically motivated attacks.
As the conversation continues across social media and traditional platforms, the central question remains whether Alia’s priestly status still carries public weight or whether his political record should stand on its own merits.
Nigerians are watching closely as the former and current Benue governors trade accusations that blend faith, politics, and personal history in one of the country’s most sensitive states.
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