Agitation for power shift divides Benue political blocs
The push for a power shift has deepened political divisions in Benue State ahead of the 2027 governorship race. Mobilisation efforts among the Tiv political blocs have intensified, with various factions seeking to secure the governorship seat for their respective areas. Benue State comprises three major ethnic groups: Tiv, Idoma, and Igede. The Idoma and […]
Map of Benue State
The push for a power shift has deepened political divisions in Benue State ahead of the 2027 governorship race.
Mobilisation efforts among the Tiv political blocs have intensified, with various factions seeking to secure the governorship seat for their respective areas.
Benue State comprises three major ethnic groups: Tiv, Idoma, and Igede. The Idoma and Igede, making up Benue South Senatorial District (Zone C), control nine local government areas (LGAs), while the Tiv are dominant in 14 LGAs spanning Benue North West (Zone B) and Benue North East (Zone A).
Stakeholders from Zone A, where the governorship currently resides, are already divided, particularly within the Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency, over whether power should shift in 2027.
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On Thursday, leaders from Kwande/Ushongo passed a vote of confidence in Governor Hyacinth Alia, distancing themselves from those advocating his exit after one term. Some had argued that the Kwande bloc should be allowed to complete the tenure of late former Governor Aper Aku, which was cut short by military rule.
Speaking at a press conference in Makurdi, Ugoh Tornguvan, Godwin Ugba, Uber Zungwenen, Iorsue Tilepine, and Hagher Chubu, representing Kwande/Ushongo stakeholders, insisted they were not interested in the governorship in 2027.
“Alia is a good man and a performing governor who should be allowed to complete his eight-year tenure. Those calling for his removal after one term are diaspora politicians who do not mean well for our rural people.”
“We, the Kwande people, want the Senate seat, not the governorship. If they take the governorship from Alia, who is transforming the state, what will the next governor achieve? We fully support Alia for 2027,” they said.
However, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Kwande Gubernatorial Ambition (MAKGA), led by Leonard Ikyem, has renewed its call for the governorship to shift to the Kwande intermediate area.
Similarly, the Mbangur Community Elites Coalition (MECOA), representing Alia’s kinsmen, has backed his re-election bid, citing his performance as justification for a second term.
At a recent event in Vandeikya, his home LGA, Alia assured supporters that no detractors would derail his re-election plans.