By Amuta Ogoh
The Director-General of the Tinubu/Alia 2027 Campaign Council in Benue State, Citizen Richard Asema, has rejected the purported Strategic Alliance for Tinubu/Shettima Re-election 2027, insisting that the All Progressives Congress (APC), does not need the group to secure victory in the state in the 2027 general elections.
Asema described the alliance, reportedly led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, as a distraction, alleging that its composition and political affiliations could undermine the electoral fortunes of the APC in Benue State.
Speaking at a press conference in Makurdi on Friday, Asema said the Benue chapter of the party was concerned about the formation of the alliance by some political figures and groups, as well as the subsequent announcement of a campaign council for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election without the involvement of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
He alleged that the alliance comprised some APC members occupying prominent positions in the Federal Government, including Akume and the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Professor Joseph Utsev.
According to Asema, an examination of the membership of the alliance and its campaign council revealed that governorship candidates of opposition parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), as well as members of other minority parties, were also involved.
He said the APC in Benue State, under the leadership of Governor Alia and the state party chairman, Benjamin Omale, strongly rejected the alliance and its campaign council, describing the arrangement as detrimental to the party’s electoral interests and campaign structure in the state.
Asema further alleged that the group had a hidden agenda to undermine Governor Alia’s re-election bid in 2027 while presenting itself as a platform for President Tinubu’s second-term campaign.
He maintained that the APC had already established a comprehensive campaign council comprising more than 900 party leaders and loyal members, which was formally inaugurated on Thursday, November 5, at IBB Square, Makurdi.
According to him, some individuals who were appointed into the council subsequently announced their decision not to participate in its activities before forming the purported alliance.
Asema expressed concern that some APC members had allowed themselves to be used for what he described as political mischief, insisting that the party remained firmly rooted across Benue State.
He expressed confidence that the APC would record a decisive victory in the 2027 elections, surpassing its electoral performance in 2023.
Recalling the party’s performance in the last general elections, he said the APC won the governorship election, secured two of the state’s three senatorial seats and delivered President Tinubu.
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, all 23 local government chairmanship positions and the 276 elected councillorship seats across the state.
The campaign council director-general also attributed Governor Alia’s growing popularity to what he described as the administration’s achievements in infrastructure development, industrialisation, education and workers’ welfare.
He listed the construction of major infrastructure projects, establishment of medium- and large-scale industries, provision of classrooms and educational facilities, recruitment of 9,700 teachers, regular payment of salaries and pensions, and clearance of outstanding arrears among the administration’s major achievements.
Asema warned against attempts to create confusion among APC members and the electorate ahead of the elections, urging party members involved in the Strategic Alliance to withdraw from the group and return to the mainstream APC leadership under Governor Alia.
He assured President Tinubu and Governor Alia of the campaign council’s commitment to mobilising massive support for their re-election.
In his remarks, the Secretary of the Campaign Council, Dr Cletus Akwaya, announced that the council would commence a tour of the state’s 23 local government areas the following week.
Akwaya said the tour would involve critical stakeholders and focus on sensitising residents on the need to support and vote for President Tinubu and Governor Alia in the 2027 general elections.
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