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Early this morning, Governor Hyacinth Alia’s media team moved swiftly to kill a fast-spreading rumour that the Benue helmsman is on the verge of dumping the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of 2027.
The speculation exploded after the governor spent over two hours behind closed doors with former Senate President and PDP chieftain, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, at the elder statesman’s residence on Nyesom Wike Road in Makurdi on Tuesday evening. In a state where every handshake is dissected for hidden meaning, the sight of Alia’s convoy pulling into Ayu’s compound was all the ammunition political gossips needed.
By dawn, WhatsApp groups and radio phone-in programmes were already declaring that “Alia has finished consultation with Ayu to cross to ADC.” Some even claimed dates had been fixed for the formal declaration.
Not so fast, says the governor.
Through his Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, Reverend Father Alia dismissed the reports as “fabricated, malicious and wickedly mischievous,” insisting the visit was nothing more than part of his deliberate effort to consult widely with elder statesmen across party lines. He listed similar recent visits to Prof. David Iornem, Elder David Iorwashima Amo, and Ambassador Terhemen Tarzoor, all of whom he has successfully wooed into the APC fold.
Alia turned the table on his rumour-mongers, declaring that far from collapsing, opposition structures in Benue are actually crumbling into the APC “in unprecedented numbers,” with big fishes jumping ship daily from wards to local government levels.
He reiterated his unshakeable loyalty to the APC and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, vowing to continue the work of consolidating and expanding the party’s base in the state rather than abandoning it.
In plain terms: the governor is not going anywhere.
Yet in the rough-and-tumble of Benue politics, where alliances shift faster than harmattan wind, today’s firm denial will do little to silence tomorrow’s whispers. For now, though, the official line from Government House is clear, Alia remains APC to the core, and any meeting with Ayu or any other opposition figure is simply “inclusive leadership,” not a prelude to defection.
The rumour mill has been served notice. Whether it will actually shut down is another matter entirely.
