The political equation in Benue South took a dramatic turn on Friday as members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Integrity Group publicly abandoned their previous alignment with the party’s senatorial candidate, Daniel Onjeh, and presidential candidate Peter Obi, declaring support for Senator Abba Moro of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.

The group, drawn from Zone C of Benue State, made the declaration when it paid a courtesy visit to Moro, the Senate Minority Leader and PDP senatorial candidate for Benue South.

The move is significant because the group said it remains within the NDC but has chosen to support a candidate outside the party for the Senate, while simultaneously embracing the emerging strategic alliance around Tinubu.

The development effectively places the group on a political path different from that of the NDC’s own presidential and senatorial candidates.

Onjeh is the NDC’s listed senatorial candidate for Benue South, alongside Moro of the PDP and Frances Ottah Agbo of the APC.

The as its presidential candidate, including after the recent controversy surrounding his disrupted visit to Benue.

But speaking during Friday’s meeting with Moro, leader of the NDC Integrity Group, Hon. Yakubu Audu Romeo, said the group’s decision was not about losing a party ticket but about what its members considered the need for effective representation.

“We did not gather here because we were denied tickets. We gathered here because we want to make the right choice,” Romeo said.

He stressed that the group was not leaving the NDC but had decided to support Moro because of his experience and what members described as his ability to provide a voice for Benue South at the national level.

Romeo disclosed that he had personally contested for the NDC House of Representatives ticket at the party’s last primary.

He, however, said the group had become uncomfortable with the choice of the NDC’s senatorial candidate, arguing that the candidate did not have the political antecedents required to represent the district.

“We are not leaving our party. We are members of the NDC, but we want to acknowledge the work of our Senator, and we have come to align with him for his re-election to the Senate,” he said.

The group also pointed to its earlier engagement with prominent Benue political leaders, including Senator George Akume, as part of what Romeo described as a broader strategic political alignment.

From Obi and Onjeh to Moro and Tinubu
Onjeh had emerged as a prominent NDC figure in Benue South after moving from the APC political camp and declaring support for Peter Obi.

In August, he publicly described himself as “humbly Obidient” after announcing his support for Obi.

He has since remained publicly identified with the NDC campaign and recently defended Obi following the disruption of the presidential candidate’s movement during his Benue visit.

The Integrity Group’s decision to now rally behind Moro therefore creates an unusual situation in which NDC members are backing their party’s presidential candidate while supporting an opposing party’s senatorial candidate.

The group’s State Coordinator, Emmanuel Orih, said the decision was based on what he described as the qualities and record of the individual candidate rather than party identity.

“This is not about the party; it is about the individual, the character and what you can do for us,” Orih said.

He also openly declared the group’s support for the Benue State strategic alliance, saying political cooperation should not necessarily be restricted by party boundaries.

The group did not stop at endorsing Moro. Its members also endorsed the strategic political partnership involving President Tinubu and influential political figures in Benue.

Moro, in his response, acknowledged the group’s endorsement of Tinubu and said he had personally begun examining the 2027 presidential contest through the lens of what he described as tangible developments rather than campaign promises.

He specifically cited the ongoing Abuja-Keffi-Makurdi road project as one of the reasons he said the Tinubu administration had made an impact on his constituency.

“If for nothing else, the President has continued the construction of the Abuja-Keffi-Makurdi Road, which passes through our constituency,” Moro said.

The senator’s position marks another layer in the developing realignment, as he said politicians from different parties could eventually work together around a common political objective.

He listed the PDP, APC, ADC, NDC, APGA, DLP and Labour Party among parties whose members could participate in such an alliance.
“At the appropriate time, we will introduce ourselves together,” Moro said.

Group attacks Alia

The NDC Integrity Group also launched a strong attack on the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia, accusing it of neglecting Benue South.

Romeo alleged that Zone C had been cut off from the state government and claimed that communities in the district had not seen meaningful government projects.

Moro went further, describing Alia’s alleged neglect of Benue South as unacceptable and accusing the governor of failing to respond adequately to insecurity in the district.

He said his criticism was directed at the governor’s administration and not the Tiv ethnic group.

“I am not against Governor Alia. I am against the government led by Governor Alia,” Moro said.

The governor and his supporters have previously disputed accusations of neglect and have pointed to projects and security interventions by the administration.

Moro nevertheless used the gathering to urge the group to mobilise against what he called “apologists” of the Alia administration in the 2027 election.

The senator said the emerging political coalition should focus on securing greater representation for minority communities.
“Being a minority is not a stigma,” he said.

The Friday meeting therefore signals a broader political realignment in Benue South, with the NDC Integrity Group maintaining its membership of the NDC while crossing party lines to support Moro for the Senate and embracing Tinubu at the presidential level.

The development also underscores the increasingly fluid nature of the 2027 contest, where party membership and electoral support are beginning to diverge in parts of the political landscape.