The Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has been nominated as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 governorship election. He won the party’s direct primary election held on Thursday across the state.
The Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election Committee, Mohammad Isah, announced the results at the party’s secretariat in Makurdi, the state capital.
According to the results, Mr Alia polled 367,786 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Terwase Orbunde, who scored 3,247 votes, and Jeffrey Kuraun, who polled 2,923 votes.
The landslide victory further strengthens the governor’s growing influence within the Benue APC machinery following weeks of political realignments and internal contests that have reshaped the party’s power structure ahead of the 2027 elections.
Speaking after the declaration, Mr Alia thanked party members for what he described as overwhelming support and praised the adoption of direct primaries in the state.
“I appreciate the members of the party for the overwhelming support and for embracing direct primaries where the people’s will prevailed in all the primary elections conducted,” the governor said.
He pledged to continue his administration’s infrastructure and development programmes, saying his government would sustain efforts to make Benue “the envy of other states.”
The governorship primary comes amid lingering tensions within the Benue APC following a prolonged leadership crisis between Governor Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
The rivalry divided the party into parallel structures, with the two factions conducting separate congresses and laying claim to legitimacy.
The crisis prompted Mr Akume to convene a high-level reconciliation meeting in Makurdi on 30 April after concerns were raised by the national leadership of the APC and President Bola Tinubu.
At the meeting, the SGF said the president wanted all elected officials under the APC platform, including members of the national and state MPs, to return automatically.
“We want everybody to have a place. We want inclusiveness in this party,” Mr Akume had said after the reconciliation meeting.
But Governor Alia publicly disagreed with the interpretation, insisting that neither the president nor the APC national leadership approved automatic tickets for any aspirants.
“What the SGF said was a prayer and not a resolution,” the governor said then.
Subsequent APC primaries in the state appeared to reinforce the governor’s position and political strength.
Last Saturday, six serving C MPs believed to be loyal to Mr Akume lost their return tickets in the APC primaries.
Those defeated included Austin Achado of Gwer East/Gwer West Federal Constituency, David Ogewu of Oju/Obi, Terseer Ugbor of Kwande/Ushongo, Sekav Iyortyom of Buruku, Dickson Tarkighir of Makurdi/Guma, and Sesoo Ikpagher of Vandeikya/Konshisha.
Most of the successful candidates are allies of Governor Alia.
Despite the losses recorded by many of the SGF’s loyalists, his wife, Regina Akume, retained the APC ticket for Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency, while Blessing Onuh, daughter of former Senate President David Mark, secured the party’s ticket for Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency.
The political shift within the APC became more evident during the senatorial primaries held earlier this week.
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Former Benue governor Gabriel Suswam defeated incumbent Senator Emmanuel Udende to secure the APC ticket for Benue North East Senatorial District, while Aber Terseer, husband of the Benue State Secretary to the Government, Deborah Aber, defeated Senator Titus Zam in Benue North West.
Both Messrs Udende and Zam were considered allies of the SGF.
Political observers say the outcomes of the governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives primaries indicate that Governor Alia has consolidated control over the APC structure in Benue State ahead of the 2027 elections.
The primaries also suggest that the reconciliation efforts between the governor and the SGF may not have fully resolved the underlying contest for influence within the party.