The Otukpo Government Secondary School Old Boys Association (OGSSOBA) has declared its support for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election in the 2027 presidential election.

The association, comprising old students of Government Secondary School, Otukpo, said its decision was anchored on its solidarity with Akume, whom it described as one of the institution’s pioneer alumni and a prominent political figure from Benue State.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday, the National Convener and Coordinator of the support group, Okpe Oko, alongside Chief Ali Igboyi, said the association had resolved to support Akume’s political direction and, consequently, Tinubu’s second-term bid.

Oko said members regarded Akume as a father and mentor whose long career in public service had earned him the respect of the alumni.
“He is our father. Wherever he goes, we go; whatever he says, we follow him. That is why we have decided to queue behind him to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term presidential bid, to continue with the work he started and bring it to completion,” he said.

Akume, a former two-term governor of Benue State, represented Benue North-West Senatorial District in the Senate and later served as Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs before becoming SGF.

The alumni association, which says it has more than 10,000 members, has branches across several states, including Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba and Lagos.

OGSSOBA said the institution, founded in the late 1960s, had produced prominent professionals and public servants in the military, civil service, law, engineering and other fields.

The association also cited the school’s motto, “Discipline and Service”, as a defining value that had continued to shape its members.

Oko recalled President Tinubu’s remarks at the wedding reception of Deborah and Samuel Akume, son of the SGF, in which the President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, praised Akume’s long career in public service.

Tinubu had described Akume as having “paid his dues” in Benue and national politics and listed his previous positions, including director of protocol, permanent secretary, two-term governor, senator, minister and SGF. The remarks were made in the context of the President’s intervention in the political differences between Akume and Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia.

Explaining the group’s support for Tinubu, Oko said the administration’s decision to remove fuel subsidy represented a difficult policy choice that successive administrations had considered but avoided because of its political consequences.

He argued that the major presidential contenders in the 2023 election had also campaigned on the need to end the subsidy regime.

The group further cited the Federal Government’s economic reforms, infrastructure projects and efforts to attract investment as reasons for backing the administration.

Chief Igboyi acknowledged that Nigerians were experiencing economic difficulties but argued that the subsidy removal was necessary to address what he described as structural problems in the economy.

According to him, the administration’s policies in infrastructure, investment and security were creating opportunities for the North-Central region, particularly in agriculture, solid minerals, energy and industrial development.

He cited projects in Benue and neighbouring states, including the Buruku-Logo Bridge and Makurdi-Gboko Road, as well as major highway projects linking parts of the North-Central with other regions.

Igboyi also pointed to the $250 million Diamond New Energy lithium processing plant in Nasarawa State as an example of the administration’s emphasis on local processing and value addition in the solid minerals sector.

The facility, commissioned in July 2026 by Vice President Kashim Shettima on behalf of Tinubu, has a stated processing capacity of 6,000 metric tonnes of lithium ore per day. The Federal Government said the project was part of efforts to expand Nigeria’s participation in the global minerals economy and promote local value addition.

The alumni group said it would mobilise its members and supporters in support of Akume and the President ahead of the 2027 elections.