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In what political observers are already calling the most significant realignment in Benue politics since the 2023 elections, the All Progressives Congress in Benue South Senatorial District on Saturday 22 November 2025 launched a 510-member Elders’ Forum and delivered a resounding message: the zone is united, focused, and ready for battle in 2027.
Gathered under one roof in Otukpo, five elders carefully selected from each of the 102 wards in Zone C inaugurated the forum and wasted no time in passing three unanimous resolutions that sent shockwaves across the state.
First, they formally endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term in 2027, citing his massive federal appointments to sons and daughters of the zone and ongoing infrastructural projects as proof of his love for Benue South.
Second, they passed an overwhelming vote of confidence on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, declaring him the undisputed leader of the APC not just in Benue but across the entire North Central region.
Third, they showered similar praise on the state party chairman, Comrade Austin Agada, describing him as the engine room and rallying spirit who has kept the party standing tall despite internal storms.
But beneath the celebrations was a clear warning shot aimed directly at Governor Hyacinth Alia. Speaker after speaker lamented what they called the governor’s “divisive posture” and “indifference to party supremacy,” reminding the crowd how the APC rose from zero elective seats before 2023 to capturing the governorship, 10 out of 11 House of Representatives seats, and 23 out of 30 state assembly seats under the Akume-Agada leadership.
The newly inaugurated chairman of the Elders’ Forum, Hon. Agbo Ogah, was blunt: “We will not watch the house we suffered to build drift into crisis because of avoidable rancour. This forum will stand as a bulwark against anything that weakens party discipline.”
State chairman Austin Agada, who received a standing ovation, told the mammoth crowd that the unity on display in Otukpo would translate into total victory in 2027 and beyond. “With Senator Akume as our leader and President Tinubu as our candidate, Benue South will speak with one voice, and that voice will be thunderous,” he declared.
As the ceremony ended with prayers, solidarity songs, and the distribution of branded materials, one thing was crystal clear: the APC machinery in Zone C has drawn the battle line. The elders have spoken, loyalty has been reaffirmed, and the message to anyone nursing ambitions outside the established structure is simple — the house is united, and it will not be moved.
2027 just got a lot more interesting in Benue State.
