The sole Labour Party (LP) gubernatorial aspirant in Benue State, Dr Mathias Byuan, has described his inclusion in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries list as mischief, false, misleading and unauthorised.
Dr Byuan, in a press statement he personally signed on Thursday, said he officially resigned his membership of the APC and duly withdrew his aspiration under the party, and wondered why the APC would mischievously publish his name amongst gubernatorial aspirants, even when he did not present himself for the party’s screening.
The APC had earlier on Thursday released the list of cleared aspirants to run for governorship in Benue State, and erroneously included Dr Byuan amongst the contestants.
APC is currently running the Guber primaries across the 23 local government areas in Benue, with Dr Byuan purportedly captured amongst the contestants.
But Byuan, in his statement on Thursday, titled: ‘Unauthorised Circulation of my name as an APC Gubernatorial Aspirant for Benue State’, called on Benue populace, the APC, the LP and the Nigerian public to disregard the ongoing APC primaries, distancing himself from anything related to APC in Benue state.
“I, Mathias Terwase Byuan, wish to state without any iota of ambiguity that I am no longer a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and I am not an aspirant for the office of Governor of Benue State under the APC.
“I resigned my membership of the APC on the 7th May 2026. I duly notified my Council Ward Chairman in writing on the said date.
“I also transmitted a copy of the resignation letter to the National Chairman of the APC on the 8th May 2026. The letter was received and acknowledged by his office.
“To ensure proper service and avoid any denial, I forwarded a copy of the resignation letter via DHL to the party.
“I further executed a Notary Public attestation of my voluntary withdrawal and submitted it to the Screening Committee of the party. I have also formally withdrawn my candidacy in writing to the Chairman of the APC Screening Committee.
“For the avoidance of doubt, any list, publication, or circulation bearing my name as an aspirant cleared to contest for the APC Governorship ticket is false, misleading, and unauthorised. I am not bound by any resolution or process relating to the said primaries”, Byaun said.
He added that he is now running for the office of the Governor of Benue State under the platform of the Labour Party, and has since been screened and is awaiting the party’s primaries on the 30th of May, 2026.
The LP Guber hopeful, therefore, attached to his press statement – Letter of his APC membership resignation to his Council Ward Chairman; APC Letter of Voluntary Withdrawal with Notary Public attestation to the National Chairman; Letter of Withdrawal of his Candidacy to the Chairman, Screening Committee of the party; and the Certificate of Screening handed to him by the Labour Party Screening Committee.
Consequently, he urged the general public, party members, media outlets, and supporters to take note and disregard any contrary information.
Meanwhile, Byuan reiterated his continued support for President Bola Tinubu, saying he believes so much in his Renewed Hope Agenda, calling on all Benue people to come out en masse and vote for Tinubu in 2027, while urging them to support his gubernatorial ambition and those of all other Labour Party candidates in Benue State.
