The Benue Strategic Alliance for Tinubu 2027 has urged the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Governors’ Forum to adopt an inclusive approach to political mobilisation in Benue, warning that efforts to restrict support groups outside the formal party structure could undermine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s prospects in the state.
The Alliance made the position known in response to recent comments by the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum regarding political alliances and groups mobilising support for President Tinubu outside the official party structure.
In a statement signed by Wantaregh Leonard Ikyem Jnr, the group while acknowledging and respecting the Forum’s position, the Alliance said the political realities in Benue require a more flexible and inclusive approach.
According to the group, the Benue Strategic Alliance brings together stakeholders and elders from the APC, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party who are committed to President Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
The Alliance said its support for the President is based on a longstanding conviction in his leadership and vision for Nigeria and is not merely a product of the 2022 election cycle.
It, however, expressed concern that the prevailing political environment in Benue has made it increasingly difficult for some pro-Tinubu stakeholders to operate effectively within existing party structures.
“Party leaders, major stakeholders and members of other political parties who support the President have, in our view, increasingly been excluded from meaningful participation,” the Alliance said.
It warned that allowing political differences within the state to hinder broader mobilisation for the President could have negative consequences for the APC and the President’s re-election bid.
The group stressed that its objective is to provide an inclusive platform through which willing stakeholders, irrespective of political affiliation, can mobilise support and votes for President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.
The Alliance also clarified that it does not constitute a parallel APC structure or seek to challenge the authority of the party.
“We are not a parallel APC structure. We are not established to contest the authority of the APC. Our immediate and overriding objective is the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” it said.
The group further cautioned that any attempt to prevent its members and other willing stakeholders from mobilising support for the President could inadvertently weaken, rather than strengthen, his support base in Benue.
It therefore appealed to the Governors’ Forum and APC leadership to recognise the peculiar political circumstances in Benue and create room for broader participation in the mobilisation effort.
“If the objective is to deliver Benue for President Tinubu, every genuine platform working toward that objective should be seen as an asset, not a threat,” the Alliance said.
The group maintained that Benue’s political circumstances require a strategy that accommodates diverse interests while keeping the President’s re-election as the central objective.
