…Backs Akume-led Electoral Alliance in State
Aggrieved members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Benue South Senatorial District have dumped the presidential candidate of the party, Mr Peter Obi, for President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The group, under the aegis of the NDC Integrity Group, also dumped the party senatorial candidate, Daniel Onjeh, for the incumbent senator and Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as their preferred candidates for the 2027 general election.
The declaration was made on Friday during a courtesy visit to Senator Moro in Abuja, where the group also declared total support for the Strategic Alliance being led in Benue State by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
Explaining the concept of their electoral coalition, the Zonal Coordinator of the group, Hon. Yakubu Audu, said the need to retain a strong voice for Benue South in the Senate informed the decision to back Moro ahead of the January 16, 2027 Presidential and National Assembly election.
“The voice you have been giving Benue South Senatorial District in the Senate as Minority Leader needs to be sustained in the 11th National Assembly. We cannot bring any new person into the Senate for Benue South now without the needed voice.
“In picking you outside our party as the preferred candidate for the senatorial contest, we are taking the right step for the general interest of Benue South on account of the effective representation you have given the people of the senatorial district since 2019.
“In line with the saying that who the cap fits, let him wear it, we are here to openly pledge our support for you in the coming election,” Audu said.
Also speaking, the State Coordinator of the group, Hon. Emmanuel Orih, said their action was in line with the Benue State Strategic Alliance being led by Senator Akume.
“For the 2027 general election and particularly for Benue South, our concept is an electoral coalition, which is leading us to prefer Distinguished Senator Abba Moro as candidate of the PDP for the election and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC as the preferred candidate for the presidential position.
“We are in NDC but see Senator Abba Moro of the PDP as the most suitable candidate for Benue South and President Bola Tinubu as the preferred candidate for the presidency,” Orih stated.
In his response, Senator Moro thanked the group for placing the interest of Benue South above partisan considerations.
He said the action of the group aligns with the strategic alliance being led in the state by Senator Akume, which he supports for the good of all, particularly in Benue State.
According to Moro, promises and realities will shape voters’ choice of candidates in Benue in 2027.
“For the presidential election, are we to be listening to candidates that will come and be telling us what they plan to do or vote for the one that is already doing concrete things?
“President Bola Tinubu, on road infrastructure alone, has constructed the Abuja-Keffi-Makurdi road and is also working on the Otukpo-Enugu federal highway.
“For me, such a person, on the template of reality, should be the preferred presidential candidate to vote for by Benue people and not those who are just at the level of making promises.
“The same consideration you have applied for me should be used for those contesting the governorship position in the state.
“Specifically, are Benue South people supposed to look in the direction of a governor that had spent three years without a single project for commissioning in the area, or a governor who gave N40 million to the family of the Chairman of Miyetti Allah allegedly killed and N4 million to the families of victims of attacks on the Otukpo-Oweto community?
“I am not against Father Alia but against the government led by him. I am not against the Tiv nation but against the Tiv man who has no regard for the existence of other tribes in the state,” Moro said.
