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Makurdi – In a rare display of solidarity, all nine duly elected Local Government Chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue South Senatorial District have issued a strongly worded joint statement rejecting attempts by the Otukpo Local Government Chairman, Hon. Prince Maxwell Ogiri, to question the legitimacy of the APC Elders’ Forum inauguration held in Otukpo on November 22, 2025.
The chairmen, representing Ado, Agatu, Apa, Obi, Oju, Ohimini, Okpokwu, Otukpo, and Ogbadibo, described Ogiri’s press statement as misleading, unfortunate, and a deliberate distortion of facts aimed at sowing confusion within the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We are legitimately elected party officials from a legally recognised, valid, and INEC-approved Congress – not appointees of convenience,” the statement read. It further cited a subsisting court judgment that reaffirmed Comrade Austin Agada as the authentic State Chairman of the APC in Benue, dismissing claims that his executive had been dissolved.
The leaders accused certain individuals of engaging in “embarrassing, undemocratic manipulations” by repeatedly changing party officials at will simply because “someone does not like someone’s face,” warning that such actions mock internal party democracy and violate the ethos of the APC.
Addressing the November 22 event directly, the chairmen stated that the gathering was peaceful, orderly, and purely an internal party affair attended by over 510 elders selected from the 102 wards of Zone C, along with ward, local government, zonal, and state party officers. They insisted that no law requires elected party officials to seek clearance from a local government chairman before holding internal political activities, and that freedom of association is guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution.
The statement also took aim at reports of an alleged directive from the Deputy Governor Sam Ode threatening action against the Otukpo APC chairman and others over the event, warning that the party will no longer tolerate intimidation, harassment, or political bullying under the guise of security concerns.
In a strong show of commitment to the national leadership, the Benue South APC chairmen openly reaffirmed the zone’s endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027 and passed a vote of confidence in Senator George Akume as the leader of the party in the North Central, as well as in Comrade Austin Agada as the authentic state chairman.
“We remain focused on unity and victory in 2027. No amount of political grandstanding will deter us from rebuilding strength across the zone,” the statement concluded.
The joint press release was signed by all nine chairmen: Josiah Owobi (Ado), Saidu Habib (Agatu), Samuel Obiabo (Apa), Peter Ekah (Obi), Hon. Ekirigwe Andy Ogbaji (Oju), Inalegwu Enokela (Ohimini), Stephen Ochai (Okpokwu), Hon. Moses Okoh (Otukpo), and Hon. Andrew Edache (Ogbadibo).
Political observers see the development as a significant pushback against perceived overreach by some local government chairmen and a clear message that the APC structure in Benue South remains firmly behind the Austin Agada-led state executive and the Tinubu presidency as the 2027 cycle draws nearer.
