Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, has facilitated a reconciliation among feuding factions of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State.

The resolution came after a high-level stakeholders’ meeting convened on Sunday, which brought together Governor Hyacinth Alia and key political actors previously divided along factional lines.

The agreement is widely viewed as a significant step towards restoring stability within the ruling party in the state, where internal disputes had persisted since the aftermath of the 2023 general elections.

It also brings an end to a protracted intra-party crisis that had weakened the party’s cohesion.

The crisis was largely driven by disagreements over the control of party structures and political appointments, which gradually escalated into entrenched factional rivalry.

Over time, the party became polarised into opposing camps, with one faction aligned with Austin Agada and another with former state chairman Ben Omakolo, both supporting Governor Alia.

The divisions worsened in March 2026 when rival groups held parallel congresses, producing separate executive committees and deepening uncertainty within the party.

Akume’s intervention is said to have leveraged dialogue and political consultation to bridge the divide, with emphasis placed on party unity and organisational stability.

As part of the reconciliation framework, he reportedly proposed automatic tickets for elected officeholders, including the governor and legislators at both the federal and state levels, as a stabilising measure ahead of future elections.

Consequently, reconciled factions adopted Alia as the consensus governorship candidate.

SIMILARLY, the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has announced former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, as its consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 elections.
Aondoakaa clinched the ticket after 10 co-aspirants unanimously stepped down and endorsed his candidacy.

The party’s consensus process followed weeks of consultations by the aspirants and strategic deliberations by the PDP leadership and stakeholders in the state.

The adoption process was led by Samuel Ortom, former Benue governor, Abba Moro, Senate Minority Leader, Ezekiel Adaji, state PDP chairman, members of the party’s state executive committee, PDP state assembly caucus, the influential G-14 and the G-9 blocs of the party.

Other prominent aspirants, including Tor Uja, Tersoo Loko, Sebastine Hon, Oyije Ogbenjua, Ode Ojowu, Tor Tiv Ato, Simon Ater, and Bemgba Iortyom, endorsed the candidate and committed to working for the party’s success.