Benue Gov’ship 2027: Kwande Not Eligible To Contest – Stakeholders

As political actors intensify preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections, the political atmosphere continues to heat up with competing interests and counter-claims.

The latest development emanates from a group of stakeholders under the aegis of Concerned Stakeholders and Leaders of the Kwande Intermediate Area.

Addressing journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Benue State Council Secretariat in Makurdi, the group faulted another faction led by Baba Atsaga Anemba, Barr. Vincent A. Uji & Co for allegedly endorsing a Kwande son to contest the 2027 governorship election.

They dismissed the purported endorsement as “categorically and unequivocally null and void.”

According to them, the “recent statements credited to Baba Atsaga Anemba, Barr. Vincent A. Uji & Co” endorsing a Kwande candidate contradict the collective will of the Kwande people.

The group further argued that the move is completely misaligned with what they described as Governor Hyacinth Alia’s ongoing “developmental revolution” in the state. They maintained that the governor’s performance justifies a reelection bid to consolidate development across Benue.

Exposing the endorsement as lacking credibility, the stakeholders revealed that the November 14, 2025, meeting at Doo Resorts Hotel, Ushongo—where the said endorsement was supposedly made—prompted them to address the media and enlighten the public to disregard the claims.

They condemned the action as “misguided, unpatriotic, self-serving, and a desperate effort to mortgage Kwande’s political future for narrow personal interests.”

Describing the pronouncements as lacking legitimacy, public mandate, or moral standing, the group labelled the move as “premature and diversionary politicking” capable of harming “the career and political prospects of any individual being pushed forward” for the governorship contest.

They advised sons and daughters of Kwande to remain focused on their responsibilities rather than be drawn into “unrealistic, divisive and ill-timed power projections.”

The group also questioned the rationale behind the endorsement, asking:

“How can APC appointees and elected officials of an APC-led federal government be ‘endorsed’ by individuals claiming to be PDP stakeholders—and in the residence of a well-known PDP grand patron—if such a narrative is not rooted in falsehood, contradiction, or political mischief?”