A fresh crisis is unfolding within the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections, after senatorial aspirant Daniel Onyirofie Onjeh rejected the reported endorsement of former lawmaker Francis Ottah Agbo as the party’s preferred candidate for Benue South.
DAILY POST gathered that the APC is currently conducting senatorial primaries nationwide, with Benue South regarded as one of the major districts expected to produce candidates for the 2027 polls.
Reports on Saturday night alleged that a close ally of Governor Hyacinth Alia, Prince Moses Ternenge, publicly backed Ottah Agbo as the favoured aspirant for the Benue South senatorial ticket.
Ottah Agbo, a former member of the House of Representatives, joined the APC after failing to secure the Peoples Democratic Party ticket in 2022.
His move to the APC reportedly created an opening for Philip Agbese to emerge under the party before later defecting to the Labour Party.
Responding to the reports, Onjeh, in a video shared on his Facebook page, criticized what he called interference by Prince Moses Ternenge, who is from Benue North East Senatorial District (Zone A), in the political matters of Benue South Senatorial District (Zone C).
According to him, Benue South has enough qualified individuals capable of determining its political direction without outside influence.
“Prince Moses Ternenge, a Tiv man from Benue North East, Zone A, cannot impose a senatorial candidate on Benue South, Zone C, with its array of professors and academic doctors,” Onjeh said.
The APC chieftain also took a swipe at an unnamed aspirant allegedly being projected as an “anointed candidate” within the party.
He accused the aspirant of defecting from the PDP to the APC without bringing any political structure or grassroots support.
“Even more ridiculous is the claim by some aspirants that somebody is the anointed candidate. The person came solely to APC without a single follower from his former party, PDP, and hopes to reap where he did not sow,” he stated.
Onjeh further argued that political structures and followership built over the years should not be undermined in the contest for the Benue South senatorial ticket.
“You cannot come and rest on the followership that others have built over the years to run the senatorial race,” he added.
