Benue Deserves Better Than Politics of Defamation -By Leonard Karshima Shilgba

For far too long, a section of our political space has been consumed by an endless stream of insults, unsubstantiated allegations, character assassination, and outright vulgarity targeted at Governor Hyacinth Alia and some senior officials of his administration. Social media, particularly Facebook, has become the preferred arena for this unfortunate spectacle.

Recently, a video surfaced alleging links between some of those behind these campaigns and certain Benue politicians based in Abuja. Whether or not such claims are ultimately substantiated is for those concerned to address. What cannot be denied, however, is the toxic atmosphere that this brand of politics has created.

Benue people deserve far better.

Political opposition is an indispensable ingredient of democracy. Citizens have every right to criticize government policies, demand accountability, question decisions, and offer alternatives. But there is a profound difference between constructive criticism and a calculated campaign of defamation, falsehoods, abuse, and distraction. The former strengthens democracy; the latter impoverishes it.

One striking feature of Governor Alia’s administration has been its refusal to descend into the mud. Despite relentless personal attacks, the Governor has largely remained focused on governance rather than engaging in endless exchanges with those determined to provoke him. That restraint should not be mistaken for weakness. It reflects an understanding that the precious time of a governor is better invested in governing than in responding to every social media provocation.

The greatest tragedy is not the attacks themselves; it is the enormous opportunity cost they impose on our state. Every deliberate attempt to distract a governor from the serious business of governance ultimately distracts Benue from its development aspirations.

The questions that should occupy every patriotic Benue son and daughter are obvious:

What practical solutions are being proposed to end the insecurity that has devastated our farming communities?

Who is bringing fresh ideas to transform agriculture into a modern engine of wealth creation?

What initiatives are being championed to improve the quality of education in our schools and universities?

Who is investing intellectual energy in the industrial revival of our state, attracting investors, creating jobs, supporting entrepreneurs, expanding skills acquisition, and building infrastructure?

These are the conversations that matter.

Our young people deserve opportunities, not recruitment into digital brigades whose principal assignment is to insult, malign, and spread unverified allegations against fellow citizens. The future of Benue will not be secured through coordinated campaigns of abuse but through innovation, enterprise, productive engagement, and responsible leadership.

Those who aspire to lead—or to influence public opinion—must rise above petty vendettas and offer ideas worthy of public consideration. Benue’s challenges are too grave for politics to degenerate into daily contests of slander and character assassination.

The people are not hungry for insults. They are hungry for security.

They are not asking for vulgarity. They are asking for jobs.

They are not demanding endless propaganda. They are demanding functioning schools, modern hospitals, thriving industries, good roads, reliable electricity, and prosperous farms.

History will not remember those who mastered the art of abusing opponents on Facebook. It will remember those who contributed tangible solutions to the problems confronting our people.

This is, therefore, a call to every political stakeholder, irrespective of party affiliation or personal ambition: let us elevate the quality of public discourse. Let us compete with ideas, not insults; with evidence, not rumours; with policies, not propaganda.

Benue deserves a politics of vision, civility, and development—not one of vulgarities, pettiness, and grotesque distractions.