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While most of Nigeria is still recovering from the hardships of 2025, the political temperature in Benue State has already shot past boiling point. On Friday afternoon, all 23 Local Government Transition Committee Coordinators appointed by Governor Hyacinth Alia publicly declared their total support for their principal to run for a second term in 2027, two full years before the election.
In a colourful show of loyalty captured in viral photos and videos, the coordinators, drawn from every corner of the state, gathered with placards, drums and a massive banner that read “ALL TRUSTED MOBILIZERS ATM – RE-ELECT REV FR. HYACINTH IORMEM ALIA 2027”. The message was unmistakable: the governor’s foot soldiers at the grassroots level are not waiting for permission or persuasion; they have chosen their candidate.
Since assuming office in May 2023, the Catholic priest-turned-politician has cultivated a reputation as a no-nonsense administrator who pays salaries on time, tackles infrastructure aggressively, and maintains a relatively detached, almost monastic public persona that still resonates with a significant portion of the electorate. The early endorsement is clearly designed to freeze the field and discourage potential challengers from both within and outside the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Political watchers say the move is strategic. By locking in the support of the coordinators who control the party structure in each local government, Team Alia is sending a loud message to Abuja, to opposition camps, and to ambitious party chieftains nursing governorship dreams: the train has left the station.
Whether this early declaration will galvanise genuine grassroots momentum or breed resentment and rebellion within the party remains to be seen. What is certain is that the 2027 cycle in Benue State has officially started, and the governor’s men have just fired the opening shot. In a state where loyalty can shift overnight and where security and economic challenges still loom large, two years is both an eternity and the blink of an eye. The battle lines, however, are already drawn.
