Ahead of the party’s primary election, the competition for the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial ticket in Benue South has intensified as top candidates continue to lobby members and rally support throughout the district.
Former APC senatorial candidate Daniel Onjeh, former House of Representatives member Francis Ottah Agbo, former legislator Nelson Alapa, Joe Ojobo, Patrick Ojechema Idoko, and Oloche Agidani are leading the race to become the party’s nominee for the general election in 2027.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, DAILY POST learned that the contest, which has caused friction within the APC in Benue South, is also revealing widening gaps among stakeholders, party loyalists, and powerful political interests.
One of the state’s most politically delicate areas is still the Benue South Senatorial District, which is predominately populated by Idoma Igede ethnic groups.
Senator Abba Moro of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is seeking a third term in office, is the incumbent senator, and the APC is looking for a formidable opponent.
Benue South has been dominated by the PDP since democracy returned in 1999. Senator David Mark has served as the district’s representative for 20 years, while Senator Abba Moro is nearing the end of his second term.
With stakeholders reportedly divided over who has the political clout, grassroots appeal, financial resources, and acceptability to win the district for the ruling party, this development has increased internal pressure within the APC.
Supporters of Daniel Onjeh, the former president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), maintain that he is still the most formidable grassroots politician in the contest, despite Ottah’s increasing support.
Onjeh, who represented the APC in the senatorial elections of 2015, 2016, and 2023, continues to maintain a devoted political structure in some areas of Benue South.
Before the dynamics allegedly changed at the last minute, Onjeh was initially thought to be the preferred candidate of some powerful party figures, according to sources.
His camp reportedly became frustrated by the development.
Following reports that some stakeholders outside of Benue South allegedly took part in attempts to sway the zone’s candidate, tensions increased.
At a stakeholders’ meeting in Makurdi, the situation allegedly caused heated arguments.
Later, Onjeh was reported to have stormed Governor Hyacinth Alia’s home to get an explanation regarding his pointman, Moses Ternenge, who is not from Benue South, allegedly endorsing another candidate.
Onjeh said in a public statement shortly after the meeting, “Relax, Benue South.” I recently parted ways with the governor, who assured me that he would never send Moses Ternenge to support a candidate.
In the run-up to the primaries, the statement increased conjecture about widening rifts within the party.
However, Ottah asserted in a Facebook post that all party stakeholders supported him because the allegations of outside influence were false and deceptive.
Although Ottah and Onjeh’s rivalry has received a lot of attention, Nelson Alapa, the former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, is reportedly quietly gaining support within important APC blocs.
Party insiders told our report that Alapa is supported by some stakeholders who see him as a compromise candidate who can bring disparate factions together following the primaries, even though he is less outspoken in public.
According to reports, his supporters are relying on his legislative experience, connections with grassroots activists, and perceived impartiality in the party’s ongoing power struggle.
In addition to the front-runners, Joe Ojobo, a former member of the Benue State House of Assembly representing Ogbadibo, oil tycoon Patrick Ojechema Idoko, and young politician Oloche Agidani are among the other candidates.
It is thought that each of them has pockets of power in various local government domains.
As party members get ready to choose the APC standard bearer in one of Benue State’s most closely watched senatorial contests, tensions are still high throughout the district.
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