By Terdue Atondu, Makurdi
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Comrade Austin Aondona Agada, has declared that core members of the party who joined from the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have no reason to support Governor Hyacinth Alia’s re-election bid in 2027.
Agada accused Governor Alia of sidelining long-standing APC members who worked for his emergence as governor in 2023, insisting that the governor had done little to earn their support for another term.
He made the position known on Wednesday during a telephone interview with FirmNews Media while reacting to a purported campaign list for Alia’s re-election, which allegedly included names of core APC members and stakeholders under his leadership without their consent.
The APC chairman warned that supporting Alia’s second-term ambition would amount to mortgaging the future of Benue State and subjecting generations yet unborn to further years of hardship.
According to him, despite receiving what he described as the highest federal allocations since the return of democratic governance in 1999, the impact of the resources has not been sufficiently felt across the 23 local government areas of the state.
He attributed the situation to what he described as the governor’s monopolisation of the state’s administration, arguing that such an approach was inconsistent with democratic principles.
“Governor Alia has shown disrespect to Mr President, the APC National Chairman and APC stakeholders in all ramifications. He does not need their support at this point, having kept them aside after the 2023 governorship election,” Agada said.
However, the APC chairman expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would secure overwhelming support from Benue State in the 2027 presidential election, promising that the party would deliver block votes for the President.
He attributed his confidence to what he described as Tinubu’s pragmatic leadership and commitment to infrastructural development, which he said had placed the country on a positive development trajectory.
Agada specifically cited the ongoing reconstruction of the Abuja-Makurdi-Otukpo-Enugu road, the construction of the Wurukum flyover in Makurdi and the bridge across River Buruku as notable projects demonstrating the President’s commitment to Benue State.
He commended Tinubu’s nationwide road infrastructure programme, describing it as unprecedented, and contrasted the current administration’s interventions with the eight-year tenure of former Senate President David Mark, whom he said failed to deliver comparable road and infrastructural development to Benue.
The APC chairman also highlighted key federal appointments given to indigenes of Benue State by President Tinubu, describing them as evidence of the President’s recognition of the state’s contributions to national development.
He listed the appointment of Senator George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Professor Utsev as Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, and other appointments of Benue indigenes into strategic positions.
Agada further acknowledged the appointment of Sunny Echono as Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), saying the development had facilitated significant infrastructural improvements in tertiary institutions across the country, particularly in Benue State.
He also cited the appointment of Barrister Pius Akutah as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NEPERA) as another demonstration of the President’s confidence in Benue indigenes.
He maintained that the appointments and ongoing federal infrastructure projects were sufficient reasons for the people of Benue to reciprocate Tinubu’s gestures by voting massively for his re-election in 2027.
“Mr President deserves nothing but overwhelming support and reciprocation through our votes to ensure his victory in the forthcoming 2027 presidential election,” Agada stressed.
Suggested editorial note: The allegations against Governor Alia and the assessment of the impact of federal allocations are attributed to Agada and have not been independently established in the material provided.
