APC Benue Faces Controversy Over Automatic Ticket Claims

A controversy has arisen within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State following a public communiqué issued after a high-level reconciliation meeting involving factions aligned with Governor Hyacinth Alia and Senator George Akume. The communiqué, signed by members of the committee, suggested that automatic tickets would be granted to Governor Alia and other members for the 2027 elections.

However, Deputy Governor Sam Od, who chairs the seven-member draft committee, strongly refuted this claim on Tuesday, clarifying that the issue of automatic tickets was neither discussed nor approved during the meeting. He emphasized that the draft communiqué submitted by the committee did not contain any provisions for automatic tickets and that the committee lacked the authority to release an official communiqué on behalf of the conveners.

Additionally, Od explained that the signatures attached to the controversial public document merely reflected attendance at the draft session and did not constitute an endorsement of the final resolution. Muazu Muhammed Bawa, the party's North Central National Vice Chairman, reiterated the adoption of direct primaries for candidate selection, contrary to the claims of automatic tickets.