A faction of the All Progressives Congress in Benue State loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has rejected the inclusion of its members in Governor Hyacinth Alia’s campaign council ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The group, operating under the Benue Strategic Alliance for Tinubu 2027, said its members were listed without their consent or authorisation in the campaign structure unveiled by the faction of the party led by Governor Alia.

The Director-General of the alliance, Chief Akange Audu, made the position known in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Group disowns Alia’s campaign council

The controversy followed the publication of a campaign council list by the Alia-aligned faction of the APC, led by Benjamin Omale.

The list reportedly included several stakeholders and National Assembly and state Assembly candidates believed to be loyal to Senator Akume.

However, Mr Audu said the alliance had no connection with the published structure and urged party members and the public to disregard it.

He specifically mentioned the inclusion of the alliance’s conveners, Senator Jack Tilley-Gyado and Elder Simon Shango, alongside candidates for the National Assembly and Benue State House of Assembly.

The statement said the alliance had already released its own organisational and campaign structure, comprising its Board of Patrons and Conveners, Advisory Council, Directorate and other members.

Akume camp accuses Alia of sidelining party leaders

The group also questioned the arrangement which reportedly named Governor Alia as chairman of the campaign council while listing Mr Akume, whom it described as the founder and foremost political leader of the APC in Benue, merely as a member.

It alleged that established party leaders and structures had been sidelined by the Alia administration since the APC won the 2023 general elections.

According to the alliance, the development had contributed to the divisions and disagreements within the party in the state.

The group also expressed concern over what it described as the hardship experienced by residents under the present administration, saying the 2027 political process should provide an opportunity to discuss governance, accountability, party unity and public welfare.

Alliance maintains support for Tinubu

Despite rejecting the campaign council, the Akume-aligned group reaffirmed its commitment to mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

It also said it would support APC candidates for the National Assembly and Benue State House of Assembly who emerge through the political leadership and direction recognised by Mr Akume.

The alliance stressed that it remained an independent political mobilisation platform whose identity, leadership and membership could not be appropriated or misrepresented through unauthorised publications.

The disagreement comes amid a prolonged leadership dispute within the Benue APC between supporters of Governor Alia and those loyal to Mr Akume, with the divisions increasingly shaping political alignments ahead of the 2027 elections.