Politics

WHY 2027 MAY BE PDP’S EASIEST BENUE VICTORY YET

Published

3 months ago

June 4, 2026

By: Aondoakaa Tersugh Daniel | 04/06/2026

Benue State has a political record that deserves more honest attention than it usually receives. Three gubernatorial elections stand out, not because they were routine contests, but because they were fought at moments when the stakes went far beyond who would occupy the Government House in Makurdi. In 2003, the PDP faced down a strong ANPP challenge and won. In 2011, the ACN came with considerable momentum and the PDP held. In 2019, in what remains perhaps the most ideologically charged election the state had seen in years, the PDP defeated the APC under circumstances where the outcome carried a meaning that ordinary ballot arithmetic alone could not capture.

What connects those three victories is not campaign funding or party structure, at least not primarily. What connects them is something the Benue electorate appeared to understand at a gut level at each of those moments: the PDP candidate was, whether perfectly or imperfectly, standing between the state and forces that had no interest in Benue’s survival as a territorial and human reality. Voters did not simply choose a party. They chose a shield. That is a distinction worth sitting with.

The configuration going into 2027 is not new. It is, to a degree that should unsettle anyone paying attention, a near replication of the exact conditions that produced those three victories. And this is where the commentary has to be direct.

The allegation that Governor Hyacinth Iormen Alia received substantial Fulani sponsorship ahead of the 2023 election, on an informal understanding that their settlement on Benue land would be facilitated, remains unproven. No court has established it, and fairness requires that distinction to be stated plainly. But what requires no court is what has been happening in Benue communities under this administration.

Under former Governor Samuel Ortom, the herdsmen attacks were vicious and frequent, but they followed a pattern of strike and retreat. The attackers came, killed, and left. There was no lingering. Under Alia, something in the character of these attacks has changed in a way that is difficult to explain away. Communities are not merely raided anymore. They are emptied. People are not just killed. They are displaced, and then the land they fled is occupied. The attackers are staying. They are settling. And the man whose constitutional duty it is to stop all of this has stood before cameras and described what is happening as mere skirmishes, denying with apparent comfort that genocide is taking place inside his own state. That is not a political disagreement. That is a moral catastrophe delivered in a press statement.

That posture alone recreates the precise condition that pushed Benue voters toward the PDP in every previous difficult election: a leading candidate whose relationship with the enemies of Benue territory was, at the very best, one of suspicious ease.

Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa SAN enters this race carrying two arguments simultaneously, and both of them are strong. The first is the territorial argument just described. The second is less dramatic but equally felt by ordinary people: the Benue civil service is in a state of near collapse. The bureaucracy is paralysed and the basic machinery of governance is grinding rather than running. This political argument that does not need embellishment.

The arithmetic of Benue political history points in one direction. Every time the conditions aligned to make the PDP the obvious defender of Benue interests against external threat or internal abandonment, the PDP won. The conditions in 2027 are not merely similar to those moments. They are, in critical respects, starker. The administrative failure is not a campaign claim. It is four years of lived reality. The state’s indifference to mass killings and occupation is not a rumour. It is documented in satellite images, funeral photographs, and the testimonies of the displaced.

The PDP does not need to invent a crisis to campaign on. The crisis is already governing the state. And if the Benue pattern holds, and this particular pattern has not broken once in the three elections that mattered most, then 2027 may not be the party’s most gruelling fight. It may, quietly and almost without precedent, be its most straightforward one.

Politics

BREAKING: Edo Assembly Speaker Blessing Agbebaku Resigns

Published

1 day ago

August 17, 2026

Online editor

By Abigail David

The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, has resigned from his position amid reported moves by some lawmakers to impeach him.

Agbebaku’s resignation was confirmed on Monday by his media aide, Ivy Adodo-Ebojele, in a Facebook post.

She wrote, “Edo Assembly Speaker Rt Hon Chief Blessing Agbebaku resigns.”

No official reason was immediately given for the Speaker’s resignation, while further details about the circumstances surrounding his decision are expected to be released.

The development has plunged the Edo State House of Assembly into a fresh leadership crisis, with lawmakers expected to begin moves to elect a new Speaker.

Agbebaku’s exit comes amid reported disagreements within the Assembly and efforts by some lawmakers to remove him from office.

Politics

Osun Election: Adeleke Extends Olive Branch as APC Considers Tribunal Challenge

Published

1 day ago

August 17, 2026

Online editor

By Abigail David

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has called for peace and unity following his re-election, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) says it is reviewing the results before deciding whether to challenge the outcome in court.

Adeleke, who contested on the Accord Party platform, was declared winner of Saturday’s governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He polled 511,067 votes to defeat APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.

The governor won 19 of Osun’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured 11. African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam came third with 17,180 votes.

President Bola Tinubu congratulated Adeleke, saying the result reflected the confidence voters placed in the governor. He urged him to use his second term to unite residents and promote development regardless of their political affiliations.

In his victory remarks, Adeleke extended an olive branch to his opponents and pledged to govern all residents of the state.

He also urged traditional rulers and community leaders to promote peace and prevent post-election violence, particularly after tensions and reported attacks during the campaign.

Adeleke said his administration would build on its achievements, address its shortcomings and pursue accelerated development under his renewed five-point agenda.

The governor also thanked Tinubu for supporting what he described as a credible and peaceful election and reaffirmed his endorsement of the President for the 2027 presidential election.

APC Reviews Results

The Osun APC said it was studying results from the state’s 332 wards before deciding on its next step.

The party said it would consult its legal team and consider all options provided under the Electoral Act, including a possible tribunal challenge.

The APC also urged its supporters to remain calm and avoid actions that could provoke violence.

ADC Seeks INEC Explanation

The ADC congratulated Adeleke but called on INEC to explain what it described as an almost four-hour interruption in the uploading of polling-unit results to the IReV portal during the election.

The party said the delay raised concerns about the transparency of the process, although it did not provide evidence that INEC deliberately halted the uploads.

ADC candidate Najeem Salaam separately congratulated Adeleke, saying the electorate had spoken and that democracy had prevailed.

Salaam urged the governor to use his second term to improve areas where his administration had fallen short and work towards greater peace, security and development across Osun State.

Politics

OsunDecides2026: Tinubu Congratulated Adeleke Before INEC Declaration, Campaign Spokesperson Says

Published

2 days ago

August 16, 2026

Online editor

By Abigail David

The spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as his role in ensuring a credible governorship election in Osun State.

Olajengbesi made the statement on Sunday shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Ademola Adeleke the winner of the August 15 election.

According to the campaign spokesperson, Tinubu called Adeleke to congratulate him before INEC formally announced the result.

Olajengbesi said the President’s alleged gesture demonstrated that political contests should not be treated as a do-or-die affair.

He also praised security agencies and the electorate, saying the election reflected the will of Osun voters.

Adeleke, who contested on the Accord Party platform, polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest rival, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who scored 444,815 votes.

The governor won 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured 11. African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam finished third.

Olajengbesi said Adeleke’s victory represented a renewed mandate from the people and praised supporters for remaining committed to the governor during the campaign.

The election had been preceded by allegations and counter-allegations between the Accord Party and APC over security, political violence and electoral conduct.

Meanwhile, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate allegations of vote-buying, voter intimidation, violence and other electoral offences linked to the election.