…Accuses Akume, Utsev of plotting against Gov. Alia
BY VICTOR BUORO – The Tinubu/Alia 2027 Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has declared that the party does not need any alliance to win the 2027 elections and therefore warned against any attempt to confuse the teeming members of the party and the people of Benue state, who are poised to vote for the party at the forthcoming elections.
The Council therefore vehemently rejected the “Strategic Alliance For Tinubu/Shettima” in the State, stressing that it is contemptuous and injurious to the fortunes of APC and its electioneering machinery in the state as being coordinated Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The ruling party in the State stated that from all credible intelligence available to it, the so called ‘Strategic Alliance’ has a hidden agenda, which is to sabotage the election of Governor Alia in the 2027 elections, while masquerading as supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Director General of the Tinubu/Alia 2027 Campaign Council, Hon. Citizen Richard Asema, who stated these at a press conference in Makurdi on Friday, November 13, 2026, stressed that the party viewed with serious concern, the purported formation of the “Strategic Alliance For Tinubu/Shettima Re-election 2027“ by some political individuals and groups and the subsequent announcement of a Campaign Council for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Asema stated that the unveiling of Strategic Alliance by senior members of APC in the state with opposition political parties and candidates standing election against the APC’s candidate in the 2027 governorship poll is completely unacceptable.
The Director General of the Tinubu/Alia Campaign Council noted that the ‘Strategic Alliance” is populated by some members of the APC, some of whom are holding senior positions in the Federal Government of Nigeria, including Senator George Akume, Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) and Prof Joseph Utsev, Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation.
Asema said that a critical look at the membership of the so called Campaign council revealed that governorship candidates of other political parties especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) as well as officers of some other minority parties are members of the group and its “Campaign Council”.
He said that the APC in Benue state under the leadership of Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia and the chairmanship of Hon Benjamin Omale, strongly reject the purported Strategic Alliance and its Campaign Council.
In the words of Asema; “This Council, to say the least, is contemptuous and injurious to the fortunes of APC and its electioneering machinery in the state as being coordinated by His Excellency, Rev Fr Dr Hyacinth Alia.
“From all credible intelligence available to the party, this Strategic Alliance has a hidden agenda, which is to sabotage the election of His Excellency, Rev Fr Hyacinth Iormem Alia in the 2027 elections, while masquerading as supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Asema explained that the APC in the State recently constituted a comprehensive Campaign Council with over 900 loyal and credible party leaders as members.
He stated that most members of the so-called Strategic Alliance were appointed into the Council, which was inaugurated on Thursday, November 5, at the IBB Square, Makurdi.
According to Asema; “Soon after the Council membership was announced, these same persons hastily declared that they won’t participate in the activities of the Council.
“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.
“We wish to state unequivocally that Benue state is fundamentally and evidentially 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.
Asema noted that in 2023 elections, the party did not only win the Governorship seat, it delivered President Tinubu and won two of three Senatorial Seats, adding that presently, the APC controls 27 out of 32 State House of Assembly seats and 10 of 11 House of Representatives Seats, 23 Local Government Chairmen and all 276 elected Councilors across the Council wards of the state.
He further said; “The outstanding performance of His Excellency, Rev Fr Dr Hyacinth Alia through the delivery of high profile infrastructure projects, establishment of medium and large scale industries to create jobs and develop the state’s economy, development of the education sector through massive provision of classrooms and other facilities, employment of 9,700 Teachers, prompt payment of salaries and pensions and clearance of arrears among others have combined to make the Governor very popular in the state.
“APC doesn’t need any alliance to win the 2027 elections and hereby warns against any attempt to confuse the teeming members of the party and the good people of Benue state, who are already poised to vote for the party at the forthcoming elections.
“From the foregoing, we advise APC members in the Strategic Alliance to disengage forthwith, retrace their steps and regroup with the mainstream leadership of the Party under His Excellency, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia,” he emphasised.
The Benue State APC Campaign Council therefore assured President Tinubu and Governor Alia of massive support and victory at the scheduled 2027 polls.
