Chief Press Secretary to Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia, Sir Tersoo Kula, has dismissed former state APC Chairman Austin Agada’s decision not to support the governor’s 2027 re-election bid, describing it as a personal political preference rather than the position of the Benue APC. Kula said the party was bigger than any individual, faction or former office holder and had already commenced mobilisation, consultation and consolidation ahead of the 2027 elections.
Kula questioned Agada’s claim that the governor had given him no reason to support a second term, arguing that political support should not be tied to personal expectations such as contracts, appointments or party concessions. He also referred to past allegations and controversies surrounding party finances and campaign resources during Agada’s tenure as chairman, as well as reported disagreements between him and other party stakeholders. Kula further noted that the APC had conducted fresh congresses in February 2026 and that a State Working Committee led by Chief Benjamin Omale had been recognised by the party’s National Working Committee.
The governor’s spokesman said Agada was free to oppose Alia or pursue any political arrangement he considered appropriate, but should not present his personal disagreement as a popular verdict on the governor’s administration. He said the people of Benue would ultimately assess Alia’s performance based on the administration’s record and their own experiences, rather than on Agada’s political declaration. Kula added that Agada’s position would neither determine Alia’s 2027 re-election prospects nor President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political project in Benue.
Below is the full statement:
Agada: When Personal Grievance is Mistaken for Political Mandate
Hon. Austin Agada’s latest declaration that Governor Hyacinth Alia has given him “no reason” to support the Governor’s re-election bid in 2027 is neither surprising nor particularly consequential.
At best, it is a statement of personal political preference. What Agada must not do, however, is dress what appears to be a personal grievance in the robes of a collective Benue APC position.
The APC in Benue is bigger than any individual, faction or former office holder, and the party’s political machinery is already engaged in mobilisation, consultation and consolidation ahead of 2027.
Agada, a former Chairman of the party in the State, cannot reasonably present himself as the uncontested voice of the entire Benue APC.
There is also something curious about Agada’s sudden discovery that the Governor has given him “no reason” to support his second term. Politics is not a marketplace where support is exchanged for personal gratification, contracts, appointments or private expectations.
Agada, by his own account, had previously demanded contracts, political appointments, party finances and other concessions from the administration. The public is therefore entitled to ask whether his present grievance is genuinely about governance or is connected to unmet personal and political expectations.
These are matters that cannot simply be erased from the political history of his tenure as APC State Chairman because he has now found a media platform from which to criticise the Governor.
It is also on record that during the last election, there were complaints from different quarters, including allegations within the Benue APC that state election campaign funds were diverted. Following the elections, there were further allegations that demobilisation funds disappeared on separate occasions after stakeholders’ meetings at Government House.
Party members, support groups and some members of the party’s State Working Committee were also reported to have repeatedly raised concerns about his handling and reporting of party finances.
These controversies were not simply manifestations of principled opposition; they formed part of the circumstances that contributed to the political crisis within the party at the time.
His strained relationship with the Governor, stakeholders and others within the party was also evident to those who witnessed the affairs of the party during his tenure as Chairman.
It is therefore remarkable that the same individual now seeks to lecture the public about political accommodation, inclusion and responsible leadership.
Agada’s attempt to turn his personal decision about the 2027 election into a wider political statement is therefore misplaced and potentially misleading.
The people of Benue will ultimately assess the administration of Governor Alia based on what they see, measure and experience, rather than on whether Hon. Austin Agada has personally found a “reason” to campaign for him.
Likewise, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 political project cannot logically depend on the endorsement of one former State Chairman.
Indeed, Agada has reportedly declared that his immediate political priority is mobilising grassroots support in Benue for President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election. If that remains his position, then his political messaging should be consistent. He cannot invoke President Tinubu when convenient while simultaneously advancing a narrative that could undermine the APC administration in Benue, which is expected to mobilise alongside the President.
There is another matter Agada should understand: political relevance is not conferred simply by repeatedly announcing oneself as “Chairman.” It is earned through recognised structures, functioning institutions, grassroots confidence and the ability to bring people together.
The Benue APC and the people of Benue State have moved beyond the politics of one individual. In February 2026, the APC conducted fresh congresses and now has a State Working Committee led by Chief Benjamin Omale, whose structure was recognised by the National Working Committee of the APC.
Perhaps, therefore, Agada should ask himself a more fundamental question: what political capital does he actually possess?
In the last general election, he could not secure his own polling unit at Onuchoi-Eyupi Primary School, Ehaje 1 Ward, Owukpa, in Ogbadibo Local Government Area. This reportedly prompted him to transfer his polling unit so that he can vote in the coming elections at the Ai-Igado/Ai-Oduu/Ibena/Ai-Igado playground.
He is enjoying a federal board appointment today, yet questions remain about his performance during his tenure as party Chairman, particularly regarding the party’s performance in his immediate political environment during the 2023 elections, including the gubernatorial contest involving Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia and the presidential contest involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
There were also allegations and complaints within his political environment concerning his conduct during that electoral period, including claims that he worked against the interests of the party’s candidates and mishandled resources intended for mobilisation.
His subsequent confrontation with party members in his Council Ward, which reportedly led to his assault by some party members, is also part of the political record surrounding his tenure.
A politician whose influence was questioned even at the level of his own polling unit should be cautious about presenting himself as a decisive factor in Benue’s 2027 political equation.
It will therefore surprise no one if Austin Agada once again chooses to work against Governor Hyacinth Alia and, by extension, against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political interests in Benue in 2027. His political history has demonstrated instances in which personal disagreements have become political opposition. But if that is the path he chooses, he should have the courage to own it openly rather than present a personal grievance as a popular verdict on the Governor’s administration.
Someone needs remind Agada that the people of Benue have no obligation to mortgage their political choices to the grievances of any individual.
Governor Alia’s 2027 re-election will not be determined by Austin Agada’s personal declaration, just as President Tinubu’s political project will not rise or fall on one man’s television interview.
Benue people have moved beyond personal entitlement, factional bitterness and the politics of individual expectations.
If Agada has chosen a political path different from Governor Alia’s, that is his right. He is free to oppose the Governor, support another candidate or pursue whatever political arrangement he considers appropriate. But he should not mistake personal disagreement for popular rejection, factional politics for party supremacy, or a television appearance for a political mandate.
Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Alia remains focused on transforming Benue through empathetic leadership, visible development and people-centred governance.
The people of Benue will ultimately make their assessment based on the record of the administration and their own experiences. While Austin Agada searches for a “reason” to support the Governor, the people will make their own determination when the time comes, including in the 2027 elections.
Sir Tersoo Kula, mnipr
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor