Waya urges Tinubu to give Benue, Tiv stakeholders meaningful role in 2027 campaign council

From Dooshima Terkura, Makurdi

A concerned North Central stakeholder of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chia Waya, has called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure meaningful representation for Benue State and the Tiv people in the proposed review of the Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Waya, in a statement made available to journalists in Makurdi, on Monday, welcomed reports of a possible review of the campaign council, but warned the Presidency against reducing the exercise to what he described as “token representation.”

He said the initial campaign council list had raised concerns across the North Central, particularly in Benue, over the alleged exclusion of key stakeholders and the Tiv people.

According to him, the reaction to the original list reflected genuine concerns among stakeholders who felt that the region’s political contributions to Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election were not adequately recognised.

Waya said the proposed review provided an opportunity for the President to address the perceived imbalance by ensuring that influential political structures in Benue were properly represented.

He specifically mentioned the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, describing him as a major rallying point for the APC in Benue and the North Central.

Waya argued that Akume’s exclusion from the campaign council, either personally or through a representative of his political structure, would send the wrong signal to the region.

“His absence from the list, whether in person or through a proxy who genuinely represents his political structure, cannot be dismissed as a minor omission. It is a glaring one and it sends the wrong signal to a bloc that has consistently delivered for the party,” he said.

He also urged the Presidency to ensure the inclusion of the Tiv people in the campaign structure, stressing that they constitute a significant voting bloc whose political relevance should not be overlooked ahead of the 2027 elections.

Waya further called on the Tinubu administration to match its appeal for continued loyalty with concrete political recognition, arguing that stakeholders who contributed to the APC’s 2023 victory should not be treated as afterthoughts.

He said the review of the campaign council offered Tinubu an opportunity to demonstrate that the support he received from Benue was valued and that the state would have a meaningful role in the political structure ahead of 2027.

“The time for token representation is over. What Benue and the Tiv people deserve is meaningful inclusion, strategic recognition, and a place commensurate with their political contribution,” Waya said.

He maintained that adequate representation of Benue and the Tiv people would be crucial to the Presidency’s efforts to consolidate APC support across the North Central ahead of the 2027 elections.