…Vow ‘not to watch the house we built together drift into avoidable crisis’
…Says Alia’s disposition to party structures threatens party unity
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue South Senatorial District has inaugurated a 510-member Elders’ Forum comprising five respected elders drawn from each of the 102 wards across the zone.
The event, held in Otukpo, attracted political heavyweights, party executives from wards, Local Governments, the zonal and state structures, as well as thousands of APC loyalists, with political pundits describing the gathering as the “mother of all political movements” ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Performing the inauguration, the Benue South Zonal Chairman of the APC, Bishop Pinot Ogbaji, said the Elders’ Forum was conceived to strengthen internal cohesion, restore confidence within the party, and provide strategic guidance in a political atmosphere he described as “needlessly destabilised by avoidable rancour”.
Bishop Ogbaji noted that the forum would serve as a stabilising bloc, ensuring that the party’s collective interest is protected amid what stakeholders called the “political missteps and divisive posture of Governor Hyacinth Alia”.
Speaking on the state of the party, leaders recounted the difficult journey of the APC in Benue prior to 2023, when the party held none of the major elective positions in the state.
They recalled how the APC, under the leadership of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and the State Chairman, Comrade Austin Agada, mobilised from ground zero to deliver the President, the Governor, 10 out of 11 seats in the House of Representatives, and 23 out of 30 seats in the State Assembly.
The stakeholders expressed concern that the governor’s current disposition toward party structures is threatening the unity that produced that historic victory.
In his speech as the Chairman of the Elders’ Forum, Hon. Agbo Ogah said the forum would work to keep the APC firmly rooted in Benue South, provide moral direction to younger politicians, and “stand as a bulwark against tendencies that weaken party discipline”.
He said the elders were aware of the murmurs across the state regarding the governor’s style of governance and his alleged indifference to party supremacy, assuring the gathering that the elders would “not watch the house we built together drift into avoidable crisis”.
Delivering the goodwill message of the SGF, Chairman of the party, Comrade Austin Agada, reminded the supporters that the APC’s strength lies in its unity and loyalty to its national leadership.
Agada urged members to remain resolute in their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, citing key federal appointments given to sons and daughters of Benue South and the President’s infrastructural and socio-economic interventions across the state.
Agada told journalists that the overwhelming turnout at the event reflected confidence in the Akume-led leadership, and he is very optimistic that the political capital would again translate into overwhelming victories in 2027.
The Elders’ Forum thereafter formally endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election and passed a unanimous vote of confidence on Senator Akume as the leader of the APC in Benue and the entire North Central region.
The forum also extended the vote of confidence on Comrade Austin Agada, whom they described as “the engine room, bridge-builder, and rallying spirit holding the party together in challenging times”.
Other notable figures inducted into the forum include: Hon. Ralph Igbago, Hon. David Idoko, Rt. Hon. Barr. James Ochojila, Comrade Abba Yaro, Chief Sylva Ameh, Prof. Christopher Ebute, Hon. Mathias Oyigeya, Hon. Adamu Entonu, Prof. John Enyi, Barr. Onazi, Hon Joshua Saleh, Ochapa, Hon. Jacob Ajene, Prof. Mrs Christy Ekoja, Hon. Joshua Saleh, and Arc. Anthony Obekpa, Lady Kate Ijogi, Hon. Mrs Susan Abuh, among several others.
Also in attendance or represented through goodwill messages were leading aspirants, Dr Mathias Byuan, Barr. Pius Akutah, Arc. Anthony Obekpa, Hon. Nick Wende, Chief Michael Aondokaa SAN, Hon. Philip Haruna, Hon. Mercy Abutu, among others, who expressed solidarity and support for the renewed unity in Benue South APC.
