There are strong indications that unless the drift is urgently arrested, Benue State may slip away from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). This is largely due to the unceasing internal crisis within the party in the last two years, a development that appears to have been compounded by the emergence of two parallel executives from Tuesday’s congress of the party in the state.

The two known factions of the party in the state conducted their parallel congresses and produced two separate state chairmen and other executives. The two factions are led by Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume respectively.

Last month, February 24, to be precise, apparently anticipating the outcome of the latest congresses, Vice President Kashim Shettima appealed to both Akume and Alia to put their differences aside and work together for the good of the state and that of the party.

But rather than heed the call, Akume’s supporters took their turn to lambast Shettima, who incidentally, is the highest-ranking political office holder from the North. While the Shettima’s aides held back, no word, whether official or unofficial from the SGF’s office to either disown the abuses being hauled at the person of the vice president or caution those behind them. Daily Sun however recalled that Shettima will not be the first to publicly appeal to the two warring political gladiators to sheath their swords. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had made similar appeal in the past.

Therefore, in spite of the Shettima’s appeal, the Benue APC went into the Tuesday’s congress divided and, in the end, while Austin Agada, elected in 2022 as chairman was re-elected as the state chairman of the faction led by Akume, the faction led by Alia, saw Benjamin Omale, emerged as the state chairman.

Although neither the congress committee from the national headquarters of the party nor officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were on ground to monitor and observe the Akume-backed congress, in line with the relevant provisions of both the Electoral Act and APC’s constitution, Daily Sun gathered that it was attended by party stakeholders from the 23 councils of Benue State, including one of the two APC senators from the state and eight of the 11 lawmakers from the Green Chamber.

But Daily Sun gathered that officials of INEC, APC Congress Committee from Abuja, and security agencies were on ground to observe and monitor the proceedings of the Governor Alia-backed faction, where one of the APC federal lawmakers, Hon. Sesoo Utoo that had been on the side of Akume in the last three years, switched camp to that of the governor.

In his acceptance speech, Agada thanked party members for what he described as a “peaceful congress”. He further noted that “In 2022, when you gave us the mandate to lead you, we assured you that the APC, which was then the opposition party, would be brought to power, which we did.

“Throughout, you did not betray us despite your suffering to build this party, and now that you have renewed our tenure, we will not disappoint you. We will stand on the unity of the party as laid down by our leader, the SGF, and we will work hard to ensure the return of our president, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as those who are on our side.”

On his part, Governor Alia commended the people of the state for their continued support for his administration and for helping to keep the wheel of good governance grinding well, assuring them that he would stop at nothing until good governance returns fully to Benue State.

He also commended the ruling APC for organising and conducting what he called peaceful ward, local government and now state congresses and also appreciated party faithful for their civility and patriotism.

While noting that in Benue State, the congresses have been peaceful, credible and transparent, Governor Alia urged the people to continue to show the reality of who they are and who is in the party to bring growth and development and prepare the future of the state.

He congratulated the newly elected party officials, and urged them to see their election as a call to service and to discharge their duties with great honesty. He thanked them for accepting to serve the Benue APC, just as he expressed deep appreciation to President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for their unalloyed support for the APC nationwide and particularly to Benue State.

Alia stated that, by the good wishes of the people, a new Benue is possible, pledging that Benue will continue to be a shining example of patriotic partisans. He further declared that “We will continue to be transparent in whatever we are doing. We will continue to stand with the people of the state and form a formidable APC in the state.”

In his acceptance speech, the newly elected chairman, Omale, appreciated the Benue APC for electing him and his exco, pledging to discharge their duties with utmost transparency, honesty and fairness.

Omale, who pledged continued loyalty to the APC, said the state would ensure a united APC where all members would be given a sense of belonging. Like the other factional chairman, he also promised that the APC in Benue will work towards the re-election of President Bola Tinubu. But unlike the Akume-backed group that was silent on the fate of the governor in 2027, Omale promised to work hard to ensure that Governor Alia consolidates the good works he is doing.

Earlier, the chairman of the Benue State APC Congress Planning Committee and member representing Ukum/Katsina-Ala/Logo Federal Constituency, Solomon Wombo, commended the state governor for organising free, fair and credible ward and local government congresses, saying the committee had put all modalities in place to produce credible party leadership in the state.

Speaking on behalf of Zones A, B and C, Chief Barnabas Gemade, Mr Hingah Biem and Peter Ochijele, in that order, all commended the national leadership of the party and the Benue State governor for conducting what they all described as “hitch-free” congresses in the state, and pledged to remain solidly behind Governor Alia and the APC government in Benue.

The chairman of the Benue State Congress Committee, Dr. Auwalu Ishaye, thereafter inaugurated the newly elected officials.

Speaking on the sidelines, James Ornguga, who is the organising secretary of the Alia-backed faction, said incumbents could not be automatically reaffirmed without fresh elections, adding that the tenure of ward executives ended in July 2025, that of local government executives in September 2025, and that of the state executives ended on February 8, 2026. He described the process which the governor’s camp went through as “legitimate and transparent.”

Daily Sun gathered that, for the Akume-backed factional chairman to declare that the party would only “work hard to return those on their side,” clearly underpinned the grand plot to deny Alia and his camp APC’s tickets. Will they succeed? It seems only time will tell.

But like what happened during Ortom’s first tenure, Governor Alia and Akume are currently at daggers drawn. Although, unlike Ortom, Governor Alia is paying workers’ salaries regularly, in addition to paying the backlog of salary arrears he inherited from Ortom, but the spate of killings in the state in recent times appears to be affecting his governance rating negatively. And with the cold arm from Akume, Governor Alia may have to turn to the Idoma people once again in 2027 to deliver him. But will it be on the platform of the APC? Only time will tell. However, once Alia is denied APC’s ticket, he may be unwilling to defect to the PDP because of Ortom. Daily Sun’s investigations also revealed that as things stand, unless President Tinubu personally intervenes, Akume would certainly deny Alia the APC ticket. And once that happens, sources say, APC may lose the state. Already, it was further learnt, one of Akume’s proteges, who is currently at Shipper’s Council has been tipped to replace Alia.

It will however be recalled that this is not the first time Akume will be up in arms against his successors when they are seeking re-election. And for all the attempts he made so far, he was beaten to his games. As he was exiting office in 2007, for instance, he backed Gabriel Suswam to succeed him, against the alleged initial understanding to have an Idoma man from Zone C succeeds him. Suswam won his re-election without his support. Again, in the build-up to the 2015 governorship election, Ortom had contested for the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and lost. He was offered APC ticket less than 24 hours after losing the PDP’s ticket by Akume. But it took the combined interventions of late former President Muhammadu Buhari and incumbent President Tinubu to get Emmanuel Jime to halt the legal process that would have seen APC losing the state, as Jime, a governorship aspirant at the time on the platform of the APC had approached the court to challenge the process that threw up Ortom.

However, before the end of Ortom’s first term, he fell out with Akume. Sensing that he was likely to be denied the ticket on the platform of the APC, Ortom returned to the PDP, where he secured his second term. And once Ortom left the APC, Jime who was denied the APC ticket in 2015, got the ticket in 2019 on a platter.

How Ortom stopped Akume’s re-election bid

In the build up to the electioneering, Ortom and Akume, had promised to bury each other politically. But by the time the election battle was won and lost, Akume lost his bid to return to the senate, just as the APC governorship candidate, Emmanuel Jime, could not oust Ortom at the poll. Ortom carried the day.

As soon as INEC declared the election result in his favour, Ortom went with his family and close associates to lay flat on the altar at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Judges Quarters, Makurdi. It was his own way of appreciating God for surviving the political landmines placed on his path by Akume.

Ortom who had just been re elected for a second term at the time paid obeisance to God in appreciation for the manner in which God fought his battles for him and gave him victory in the end. Although, some staunch PDP members who felt aggrieved by Ortom’s return to the party left, many prominent members including two former senate presidents, David Mark and Iyorchia Ayu, former Governor Gabriel Suswam, former Interior Minister, Abba Moro and a host of others stood by him.

Eventually, when Governor Ortom emerged the governorship candidate of the PDP during its primary which held at the Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi, the party saw the need to come together more than ever before to support their candidate so that they could win the election and return to power after four years of sojourn as an opposition party in the state.

Akume had alleged that Ortorm had armed Livestock Guards ahead of the elections and requested the federal government to send enough security for the elections in the state.

But Ortom, on the other hand, in one of his chats with newsmen said the people’s might was more than federal might stressing that when God and the people are solidly behind a man, there is absolutely nothing any federal might could do.

Expectedly, Akume could not come to terms with the fact that someone whom he claimed to have picked from the “gutter, dusted and pushed up the ladder” until he became governor could turn round to spite him. Akume, who tendered apologies to the people of the state for foisting Ortom on them in 2015, equally vowed to ensure that he returns him to the “gutter “where he picked him from.

Replying, Ortom who also apologised to the people of the state for allowing Akume misled him for three years, vowed to retire him from politics. The bickering between the two of them, no doubt set the stage for the 2019 governorship election in the state. Although, over 30 candidates from different political parties participated in the election, it was obvious from the beginning that the battle was going to be a keen contest between the PDP and the APC, a scenario, Daily Sun aptly predicted long before the poll.

And true to Daily Sun’s prediction, the March 16, 2019 governorship election had Governor Ortom of the PDP scoring a total of 410,576 votes to lead his closest contender, Emmanuel Jime of the APC who polled a total of 329,022 votes. But at the end of the day the exercise was declared inconclusive.

State Returning officer in the election, Prof. Sabastine Maimako while disclosing that the margin of lead between the two parties was 81,554 stated further that the total number of registered voters in areas where votes were cancelled and elections not held was 121,019 adding that the number of cancelled votes was more than the margin of lead by the PDP.

Maimako who declared the election inconclusive therefore announced that INEC would hold supplementary election in the affected polling units in those areas within 21 days.

Although, the declaration did not go down well with the PDP and many supporters of the party, the development afforded the two political parties opportunity to return to the trenches with a view to proving their mettle in the supplementary election which was later fixed for March 23, 2019.

Political watchers in the state and beyond felt that declaring the election inconclusive was needless looking at the margin of lead between the two parties and the number of accredited voters who were eligible to vote in the supplementary election.

However, at the end of the March 23 supplementary election, Governor Samuel Ortom of the PDP emerged winner after he polled a total of 434,473 votes to beat his closest contender, Emmanuel Jime of the APC who polled a total of 345,155 votes. But Akume lost his re-election bid, as Ortom succeeded in retiring him from elective position. And in 2023, Akume also stopped Ortom from producing a successor.

Will Alia survive Akume’s onslaught?

Historically speaking, each time the Tivs are up in arms against themselves, they usually turn to the Idoma for political survival. And from 1999 to date, the Idoma people have remained the deciding factor during contentious governorship elections. Each time they play the role, Daily Sun gathered, they are always promised power in return. But once it is time to actualise the promise, there is usually no political will to pull it through.

Daily Sun investigation, however, revealed that unlike previously, there were no such promises made in 2023 to secure the zone’s support for the election of the incumbent governor, Alia. Reports and available data, however, show that but for the support of the Idoma, APC would have lost the state in 2023. In the build-up to the 2023 General Elections, Ortom, alongside four others of his colleagues, fell out with the leadership of the PDP at the national level. He canvassed support for the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Benue State. Feelers, however, indicate that his support for Obi made Benue voters turn their backs on Obi, with the Idoma providing the needed votes to give APC victory. Ortom was hated for not paying workers’ salaries. Sources, however, told Daily Sun that no Idoma has been compensated with any federal appointment since the coming into being of the Tinubu-led administration. (The Sun)

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