Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia has defended his reservations about reports of an automatic re-election ticket arrangement for incumbent All Progressives Congress officeholders, arguing that such a policy could undermine longstanding zoning expectations in the state.
His Chief Press Secretary, Tersoo Kula, told journalists in Makurdi that the alleged presidential directive had not been independently verified. He said that, if such an instruction had been issued, it might not have fully accounted for Benue’s local political arrangements.
Kula cited the Tiv principle of rotational leadership, often expressed as “ya na angbian,” or “eat and pass to your brother,” as a tradition that influences how communities assess political representation.
He argued that automatically returning incumbents without regard to previous tenure or zoning agreements could provoke resentment, deepen party divisions and affect the APC’s electoral prospects.
The governor’s spokesman acknowledged that some prominent politicians, including David Mark and George Akume, had secured repeated mandates but maintained that rotation remained an influential consideration for many voters.
The statement reflects the governor’s political position. No authenticated presidential directive or formal APC ticket-allocation decision was provided in the account.
