...Told me to join Fr. Alia TV Network as well and campaign for Gov. Alia
...She never supported Gemade against Alia
Pendatyo-U-Tiv, Rt. Hon. Chief Mrs Dorathy Mato played momentous roles for the election of the Executive Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia in 2023 in various aspects of Alia's campaign.
In October 2017, Chief Mato contacted me for my media services to be covering her political and other activities. After covering her activities for 5 years, when Alia declared his intention in 2022 to contest the Benue State gubernatorial election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), she told me to join Alia's campaign media team and contribute my media expertise to the campaign.
With my professional training in Television Journalism at NTA Television College, Jos, Plateau State and in Mass Communication at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria Kaduna State including others, she believed my expertise would make significant a difference.
She called Comrade James Asortar and told him to include me on the campaign media team of the governor and include me in Fr. Alia TV Network team as well.
She paid for all the two customised Fr. Alia TV Network shirts to be produced for me with my name crested on the back for identification purposes, got the APC campaign shirt for Alia/Ode 2023 for me and also contributed in providing money for data and other logistics whenever I run out of cash for data or other logistics.
Chief Mato encouraged me to keep campaigning for Alia, stating that he is my uncle from Mbangur, Mbadede, Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State, so I should consider campaigning for him as a sacrifice for an uncle for better things to come tomorrow even if no monetary benefits were obtained from the campaign.
For those who have undermined Chief Mato's contributions to Gov. Alia's election, I state clearly that she made enormous sacrifices for Alia's election with her money, time and other resources. Gov. Alia and most of his team were not even aware of the extent Mato went in campaigning for Gov. Alia outside the campaign schedule of Alia's campaign team. I was always with her to cover such campaigns.
Some divisive and conflict merchants who were using Mato's name for their political gains missed the mark about the issue of supporting Gemade over Alia.
Mato was considered the leader of APC in Jechira because all the political heavyweights in APC from Jechira left the party and she was the only highest ranking member left in APC as former Supervisory Councillor for revenue generation in Vandeikya Local Government Council, former Deputy Chairman of Vandeikya, former SA to Gov. Suswam on Women Affairs, former member representing Kyan State Constituency at Benue State House of Assembly, former member, House of Representatives for Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency in Benue State. In 2019, Chief Gemade was in Social Democratic Party (SDP), Rt. Hon. Iorwase Hembe in All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Sen. Joseph Akaagerger was in Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was only Hon. Mato that was the sole financier of APC in Jechira.
Alh. Abubakar Aseer Ihongo was the Vandeikya APC Chairman. It was Mato's financial support to Aseer that was running the activities of APC in Jechira. She would call for stakeholders meeting and use her money to host such meetings including others.
When Gemade rejoined APC in August 2020, Gov. Alia had not even officially told anyone he had the intension to contest for governor, not to talk of a political platform. Although "Divine Mandate" (also known as Divine Mandate for Alia or Divine Mandate Worldwide) was officially formed in 2019 by the convener Sir James Iorpuu, PhD to conceptualise and promote the governorship ambition of Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, no political party was indicated untill 2022 when he chose APC.
When Gemade declared his gubernatorial intention in APC, Alia wasn't even a member of the party yet. Mato being the leader of APC in Jechira as of that time, had to follow him to his political activities including other aspirants in APC who invited her.
When Alia officially declared his intention to contest the Benue State governorship election under the All Progressives Congress (APC) on 11 April 2022 at the state APC secretariat in Makurdi, Chief Mato immediately stopped following Gemade to political activities and joined Alia who is from Vandeikya, Mbadede, Mbangur with her.
Chief Gemade was angry with Hon. Mato for preferring Alia over him. Those close to Gemade can ask him. At no point did Mato support Gemade against Alia as it was rumoured.
Rt. Hon. Chief (Mrs) Dorathy Mato deserves to be respected for her sacrifices, commitment and dedication to Gov. Alia's election in 2023.
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