George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), serving members of the National Assembly of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Benue State, as well as the Austin Agada-led faction of the party, on Thursday, shunned the campaign flag-off of the 2027 Tinubu/Alia campaign Council.
The APC, Benue State Chapter, on the 2nd November, 2026, released its joint Campaign Council for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The party, in a statement signed by the State Organising Secretary of the party, James Ornguga, also announced on Thursday, November 5, 2026, the inauguration of the Campaign Council in Makurdi, the State Capital.
Recall that after the list of the composition of the Tinubu/Alia Campaign Council was out, the Benue Strategic Alliance for Tinubu 2027 disclaimed the purported Alia Campaign structure, describing it as unauthorised and misleading.
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In a statement signed by Akange Audu, its Director General, the Alliance said its attention was drawn to a publication jointly signed by one Benjamin Omale and James Ornguga, which purported to present an Alia Campaign structure containing the names of several individuals, including its Conveners, Jack Tilley-Gyado, and Elder Simon Shango, as well as its candidates for the National Assembly and Benue State House of Assembly, among others.
According to the Alliance, for the avoidance of doubt, the Alliance categorically dissociated itself from the said publication and disowned any claim or suggestion that the individuals mentioned therein are associated with, or constitute members of, the purported Alia Campaign structure.
It said it had formally published its organisational and campaign structure for the 2027 general elections, comprising its Board of Patrons/Conveners, Advisory Council, Directorate and other members, adding that the publication remains the authentic and authoritative reference for its leadership, membership and operational structure.
“We find it particularly contentious that a purported Alia Campaign structure would designate Governor Hyacinth Alia as its Chairman while listing the Founder and foremost political leader of the APC in Benue State, George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, merely as a member, saying the arrangement raises legitimate questions about the recognition of established party leadership and the political history of the APC in Benue State”, it noted.
According to the Alliance, since the APC secured victory in the 2023 general elections, the party’s established leadership and structures have, in practical terms, been sidelined by the Alia administration, a development it said has contributed to the divisions and disagreements currently affecting the party in the State.
“The Benue Strategic Alliance for Tinubu 2027 reaffirmed its commitment to its stated mandate of mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, adding that its political engagement also extends to supporting APC candidates for the National Assembly and the Benue State House of Assembly who emerge from the list and leadership direction recognised by its leader, George Akume”.
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“We remain concerned about the hardship experienced by the people of Benue State under the Alia administration and believe that the 2027 political process should provide an opportunity for constructive engagement on governance, accountability, party unity and the welfare of the people, describing itself as an independent and clearly structured political mobilisation platform whose identity, leadership and membership cannot be appropriated, manipulated or misrepresented through unauthorised publications”, the Alliance stated.
He urged APC State, Local Government and Ward Executives, stakeholders, members and the general public to disregard the purported publication.
It was observed during the inauguration that almost all the serving members of the National Assembly and other key stakeholders of the party were conspicuously absent.
However, speaking during the event, Governor Hyacinth Alia said he was proud of the Benue people who had registered massively to rank number eight in the Country with over three million votes.
“Let us continue to work in synergy. If by any chance you have bitterness in your heart, this is the time; let bitterness go away and let sweetness come in; let us bury our differences and work for the common goal of the party.
“Forgive each other. If you were not nominated this time by your people to be a candidate of the APC, there is another time. I’m very convinced that by tomorrow you will see better results.
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“I know that you are ready to bring the President back. In these three and a half years, everything you see did not just happen. It was through the deliberate action of the president. The secret behind all the achievements and histories we made was through the leadership of the APC, the leader of the nation, President Bola Tinubu”, the governor said.
He has ensured that Benue gets back on the ground in terms of development. When we came in in 2023, 17 local governments were on the Frontline of insecurity, but today our people are going home and going to their farms.
He commended the President for his numerous interventions in the state and urged all to support his re-election and that of the President come 2027.
Barnabas Gemade, the APC, who spoke on behalf of the APC Elders Forum, criticised the Rainbow Coalition for Tinubu/Shettima as a confused project which does not have a defined formula.
He said the Rainbow Coalition would not be permitted in Benue State and described the 2027 campaign as a campaign for the re-election of Governor Alia, President Bola Tinubu and all the APC members that were duly nominated during the primaries, calling on “Those who are following that trend of coalition to return and join the main APC where they would be counted as members at the end of the day.”
Also speaking, Richard Asema, the Campaign Director General, appreciated the governor for appointing them and assured that the Council would run an issue-based campaign devoid of acrimony, hate speech, blackmail and character assassination.
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He said they are optimistic that they are going to deliver all APC candidates from bottom to top.
While stating that nobody is a master of Nigerian politics, Asema assured the Governor that with his consultation and sharing of ideas, victory is a sure way.
Also, retired General Lawrence Onoja, who spoke for Benue South Senatorial District, said Governor Alia has the legal right to be re-elected a second time, saying that those calling for his removal were former leaders who equally served for eight years and could not achieve what the Governor has done in three and a half years.
He described Governor Alia as a saleable product, citing his numerous projects in the three zones of the state, especially in Zone C. He said he has secured all the votes in Zone C and is waiting to hand them all to the governor.
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