- Governor Alia's spokesperson challenged an alleged presidential directive granting automatic tickets to all incumbent APC officeholders in Benue State
- The aide warned that ignoring the state's established rotational leadership tradition could split the party and fuel opposition ahead of 2027
- The governor's spokesman alleged that some political actors pushed the directive to plant divisions between Governor Alia and Benue voters
Makurdi, Benue state - The Benue state governor's office has pushed back against an alleged presidential directive that would grant automatic re-election tickets to all sitting APC office holders in the state, warning that the policy could backfire severely on the party.
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Sir Tersoo Kula, raised the alarm while fielding questions from journalists in Makurdi. He said that if President Bola Tinubu did indeed issue such a directive, it was likely based on incomplete or inaccurate information about how politics works in Benue. Legit.ng could not independently verify the existence of the directive.
Source: Twitter
Kula described the alleged policy as "self-defeating," arguing that overriding existing zoning arrangements would stir resentment among voters and hand the opposition an easy target.
Benue's Rotational Leadership Culture
At the heart of the dispute is a Tiv political principle known as "ya na angbian," loosely translated as "eat and pass to your brother." Kula said this tradition of rotational leadership has shaped how political offices are shared across Benue for generations, and he traced part of its introduction into wider national political thinking to the late Joseph Sarwuan Tarka.
He noted that Benue voters have historically resisted politicians who hold on to elective offices for extended periods, pointing to former Senate President David Mark and former Benue Governor Sen. George Akume as rare examples of politicians who won repeated mandates in the state.
"Our people detest sitting tight in leadership. They prefer to rotate," Kula said, cautioning that disregarding this sentiment could trigger protests or deliberate protest votes against the APC.
Allegations of Deliberate Mischief
Beyond the policy itself, Kula raised suspicions about who may have pushed for the directive and why. He suggested that certain political actors could be working to weaken the APC in Benue, intending to later shift the blame onto Governor Alia. Others, he alleged, may be trying to protect their own influence by stopping the governor from consolidating authority within the party.
"Whoever gave that advice knew he was planting landmines for Governor Alia and the APC in Benue State. That was pitching the Governor against the people," he said.
He added that automatically clearing all incumbents for re-election, without regard for tenure history or existing zoning agreements, risked creating internal party fractures that could prove difficult to repair before the 2027 general elections.
Benue 2027: Residents Warned Against Anti-Alia Coalition
In other news, a political commentary platform, The-Sam-Agwa-Observatory, has urged Benue state residents to be cautious about throwing their support behind a political coalition working to unseat Governor Hyacinth Alia ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
In a commentary published on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the platform argued that the emerging alliance appeared to be held together by political grievances and the desire to reclaim lost influence, rather than any shared vision for the state's future.
Source: Legit.ng