Regina Akume, the wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, has clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket to seek re-election into the House of Representatives for the Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency of Benue State. Her victory came during the APC National Assembly primaries held across the state ahead of the next general elections.
Akume Loyalists Suffer Major Setbacks
Despite Regina Akume’s success, several politicians believed to be loyal to the SGF reportedly failed to secure party tickets during the primaries. This signals that the political rivalry between Senator George Akume and Governor Hyacinth Alia remains unresolved. Among those who lost their bids were Dickson Tarkghir of Makurdi/Guma, Sesoo Gboko of Vandeikya/Konshisha, Asema Achado of Gwer East/Gwer West, Ugbor Terseer of Kwande/Ushongo, Sekav Iortyom of Buruku, and David Ogewu of Oju/Obi.
Incumbent Senators Lose Re-election Bids
The APC primaries also produced major upsets in the senatorial contests, with two serving senators reportedly aligned with the SGF losing their re-election attempts. Senator Emmanuel Udende, representing Benue North East (Zone A), was defeated by former governor Gabriel Suswam. Senator Titus Zam of Benue North West (Zone B) lost to retired senior Customs officer Teseer Benjamin Aber, who is the husband of the current Benue State Secretary to the Government.
Winners Emerge Across Senatorial Districts
Chief Returning Officer for Benue North West, John Hembe, announced that Aber polled 93,412 votes to defeat Zam, who secured 2,763 votes, while Padopads Awunah received 21,731 votes. In Benue North East, results declared by Returning Officer Michael Tyo showed that Suswam scored 131,083 votes, while Udende polled 1,364 votes and Fidelis Unongo secured 865 votes. In Benue South Senatorial District, former House of Representatives member Dr. Francis Agbo clinched the APC ticket after polling 58,760 votes to defeat five other aspirants, including Daniel Onjeh, who secured 4,570 votes.
APC Urges Aggrieved Aspirants to Seek Redress Peacefully
Chairman of the Senatorial Primary Election Committee for Benue South, Saidu Sabiu, congratulated the winners and urged dissatisfied aspirants to channel complaints through the party’s appeal mechanism. “Like I said the other time, this is a home affair, a family affair. I don’t see anybody winning and I don’t see anybody losing. This is an internal process,” he said. Sabiu added that the primary election process should strengthen unity within the party ahead of the general elections. “May we continue to be as united as we are. This process of primary election will only make the party come out stronger, more united and focused,” he stated.
Benue APC Commends Peaceful Conduct
Benue APC Chairman, Benjamin Omale, praised party members for what he described as a peaceful and credible primary election process. He also commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for creating an enabling environment for the conduct of the exercise. Omale further applauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC national leadership for deploying what he called “credible, transparent and professional” officials to oversee the primaries.
