Fresh turmoil has engulfed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State after rival factions loyal to Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, conducted parallel ward and local government congresses across the state’s 276 wards, producing competing party executives.
The disputed congresses, held on February 18 as part of the APC’s nationwide reorganisation of grassroots structures ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle, have deepened a protracted power struggle between the governor and his erstwhile political benefactor over control of the party machinery in the state.
Both camps claimed legitimacy and adherence to directives from the APC national secretariat, but announced separate lists of ward executives — effectively creating two parallel party structures from ward to local government levels.
Leaders of the Akume-aligned faction said the exercise conducted by their camp was a reaffirmation of existing ward executives, arguing that party members across Benue endorsed the continuation of officials elected in the last congress cycle for another four-year term. They described the outcome as a vote of confidence in structures built over years under Akume’s leadership of the party in the state.
In contrast, the Alia faction insisted the tenure of all ward executives had lapsed between July 2025 and February 2026, making fresh elections unavoidable. Allies of the governor said consensus candidates emerged in most wards during their congresses, in line with APC guidelines permitting affirmation where there is agreement among stakeholders.
The rivalry had intensified in the days preceding the congresses, with each side accusing the other of planning to hijack the process. Alia supporters alleged that materials used by the Akume camp were unofficial and printed outside the state, while Akume loyalists maintained they acted on authentic instructions from the party’s national leadership.
The dispute marks the sharpest escalation yet in a rift that began shortly after Alia assumed office in May 2023 and gradually strained his relationship with Akume, widely regarded as his political godfather and the architect of APC dominance in Benue over the past decade.
At stake is control of the party’s grassroots architecture — ward and local government executives who form the backbone of delegate lists and determine the outcome of future primaries. Political observers say whichever faction secures recognition from the APC national headquarters will effectively command the party’s nomination machinery in the state ahead of 2027.
The emergence of parallel structures now raises the prospect of legal battles, disputed local government and state congresses, and potentially fractured primaries if reconciliation fails. Similar crises in other states have previously resulted in defections and weakened electoral performance for ruling parties.
Sources within the APC say the national leadership is concerned about the Benue crisis given the state’s strategic importance in the North-Central and its role in the party’s electoral calculations for the next general elections. Party mediators are expected to intervene to determine which congress outcomes will be recognised.
For now, however, the Benue APC stands divided into two camps — one aligned with the sitting governor and the other with the SGF — in a contest that underscores the continuing influence of godfather-successor conflicts in Nigeria’s party politics.
Abuja Network News
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