Former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, has dismissed as false, reports suggesting that his participation in the recent Good Governance Tour of development projects in Benue State was aimed at engineering the defection of Governor Hyacinth Alia from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Maku described the claim as entirely false, malicious and undeserving of public attention, saying it was a desperate attempt to politicise a sincere and non-partisan initiative.
In a press statement he personally signed, Maku explained that the Good Governance Tour is a professional platform designed to shift the attention of political leaders, regardless of party affiliation from endless political wrangling to the more urgent task of delivering development and public service, especially at the grassroots.
“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.
“This claim is entirely false, malicious, and should be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. It is an unfortunate attempt to politicize a sincere, non-partisan initiative.
“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.
“This concept is not new. 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 further noted that a similar initiative was carried out during the tenure of Professor Jerry Gana as Minister of Information and National Orientation. Both efforts, he added, were motivated by the realisation that political discourse in Nigeria had become dominated by power struggles, leaving the real needs of citizens overlooked.
According to Maku, the original Tour helped redirect the attention of many political leaders toward service delivery. “As Minister then, I led journalists to states governed by various political parties. Many governors confessed that the tour motivated them to be more serious about their development agendas,” he said.
Maku lamented the current state of political discourse, which he described as saturated with insults, party conflicts, and insecurity, leaving little room for meaningful discussions about governance.
He said it was this concern that led him and other professionals such as Dr. Mike Omeri, former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency to revive the Good Governance Tour as a civic accountability and public engagement tool.
He emphasised that political leaders from across the spectrum were approached, and some, including Governor Alia, responded positively. “The Governor of Benue State was the first to officially invite us to tour his state,” he said.
Refuting allegations of a political agenda, Maku stated; “At no point during our mission to Benue did we discuss or attempt to persuade Governor Alia to defect. That narrative is a complete fabrication.”
He described Alia as a man driven by the desire to serve, not by desperation for 2027, and urged detractors to stop politicising the governor’s developmental efforts.
