2027: Benue APC Campaign Council Rejects Tinubu Alliance

…..Alleges Plot Against Alia

By Attah Ede, Makurdi

The All Progressives CongresTins (APC) Campaign Council for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Hyacinth Alia in Benue State has rejected the formation of a group known as the Strategic Alliance for Tinubu/Shettima, alleging that the initiative is designed to undermine Governor Alia’s re-election bid in 2027.

The council described the alliance as a political maneuver capable of creating division within the APC, insisting that its promoters were using President Tinubu’s name as a cover to advance an agenda against the Benue State governor.

Director-General of the campaign council, Citizen Richard Asema, stated the position while addressing journalists at the council’s campaign office in Makurdi on Friday.

Asema alleged that the membership of the purported alliance included some APC members occupying prominent positions in the Federal Government, including the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev.

He further claimed that a review of the alliance’s membership showed that governorship candidates of opposition parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), as well as members of other minority political parties, were associated with the group and its campaign council.

“The All Progressives Congress under the leadership of Governor Hyacinth Alia and the chairmanship of Benjamin Omale strongly rejects the purported Strategic Alliance and its Campaign Council,” Asema declared.

He described the development as detrimental to the electoral fortunes of the APC in Benue, arguing that the party’s electioneering activities in the state were already being coordinated by Governor Alia.

According to him, intelligence available to the party suggests that the alliance has an undisclosed political agenda aimed at frustrating the governor’s re-election in 2027 while publicly presenting itself as a platform for supporting President Tinubu.

Asema disclosed that the APC had recently constituted a comprehensive campaign council comprising more than 900 party leaders and stakeholders considered loyal and credible members of the party.

He said several personalities reportedly associated with the Strategic Alliance were also appointed into the official campaign council and publicly inaugurated on Thursday, November 5, at IBB Square, Makurdi.

The Director-General, however, expressed disappointment that some of the individuals declined participation in the officially constituted campaign council shortly after its membership was announced.

He said the decision had raised questions about their commitment to the party’s collective political interests.

“It is regrettable that some APC members have fallen prey to this political gimmick by allowing themselves to be used for this act of political mischief. It is purely a confrontational alliance,” he said.

Asema explained that the inclusion of the affected individuals in the campaign council was intended to extend an olive branch and promote reconciliation within the party but regretted that the gesture had not produced the desired outcome.

He insisted that the 2027 elections would not be determined by what he described as divisive political manoeuvres, expressing confidence that the APC would retain its dominance in Benue State.

“We wish to state unequivocally that Benue State is fundamentally and evidently a strong base of the APC. The party is well-grounded, popular and loved by the people of Benue State. By God’s grace, APC will win the 2027 elections decisively with a higher margin of votes than it did in 2023,” he said.

To support his position, Asema recalled that the APC won the governorship election in 2023, secured victory for President Tinubu in the state and won two of the three senatorial seats.

He added that the party currently controls 27 of the 32 seats in the Benue State House of Assembly, 10 of the 11 House of Representatives seats, 23 local government chairmanship positions and all 276 elected councillorship positions across the state.

The campaign council attributed its confidence ahead of the 2027 elections to what it described as the achievements of Governor Alia’s administration, particularly in infrastructure, industrial development, education and workers’ welfare.

Asema highlighted the establishment of medium- and large-scale industries aimed at creating employment opportunities and strengthening the state’s economy, alongside investments in classrooms and other educational facilities.

He also cited the employment of 9,700 teachers, regular payment of workers’ salaries and pensions, as well as the clearance of outstanding arrears, as factors contributing to the governor’s growing political support.

The APC chieftain maintained that the party did not require any political alliance outside its existing structure to secure victory in the forthcoming elections.

He warned against what he described as attempts to confuse APC members and the people of Benue State, insisting that the party’s supporters were already prepared to vote for its candidates in 2027.

Asema consequently urged APC members involved in the Strategic Alliance to immediately withdraw from the group, retrace their steps and reunite with the mainstream leadership of the party under Governor Alia.

He reaffirmed the campaign council’s commitment to mobilising massive support for the re-election of President Tinubu and Governor Alia in 2027, expressing optimism that the APC would record a more decisive victory than it achieved in the 2023 general elections.