Benue APC Crisis: Group defends Akume, questions VP Shettima’s position

Benue APC Crisis: Group defends Akume, questions VP Shettima’s position

By Ade Adewale

The Concerned Benue Democrats (CBD) on Thursday rose in strong defence of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, declaring that he is not the aggressor in the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State but “a victim of calculated hostility.”

Addressing journalists in Makurdi, President of CBD, Leonard Ikyem, flanked by the leadership of the group, said it convened the press conference to “set the records straight” over what it described as the continuous projection of Akume as the arrowhead of the protracted rift between him and Governor Hyacinth Alia.

The group’s reaction followed comments by Vice President Kashim Shettima at the Progressive Governors’ Forum–Renewed Hope Ambassadors Strategic Summit held on February 24, 2026, in Abuja, where he urged Akume to extend an olive branch to Governor Alia in the interest of peace and development.

CBD noted that this was not the first time the Vice President had publicly made such an appeal, recalling a similar call he made on December 28, 2025, during the wedding reception of Akume’s son in Makurdi.

“Our attention has once again been drawn to the comments made by His Excellency, Vice President Kashim Shettima,” the group said.

“We are out to correct the deliberate and mischievous representation of facts suggesting that Senator Akume is the aggressor in this crisis,” he said.

The group posed what it described as a fundamental question: “What is Senator Akume’s crime against Governor Alia?”

According to CBD, the rift between the governor and the SGF began almost immediately after Alia took the oath of office on May 29, 2023, alleging that the governor distanced himself from the party leadership and the SGF from the onset of his administration.

The group in its allegations accused Governor Alia of going against party decisions during the inauguration and constitution of the Benue State House of Assembly, particularly in the emergence of principal officers.

“Even for party leadership positions such as Majority Leader and Majority Whip, the governor ensured that those nominated by the APC did not emerge, while the list sent by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for minority positions was honoured,” the group claimed.

CBD further alleged that the governor appointed commissioners within his first three months in office without consulting the party structure and later embarked on moves to remove the state APC chairman, Comrade Austin Agada, and members of the State Working Committee.

The group described these actions as a “declaration of war against his own party,” alleging that caretaker chairmen appointed by the governor attempted to block church thanksgiving services organised by Akume’s supporters.

It also accused some of the governor’s appointees of using derogatory language against the SGF and his allies, including referring to National Assembly members as “U Bokoti Mbaiorobv,” translated as “Bucket People,” which it said implied people without reasoning.

Several groups allegedly loyal to the administration were also accused of orchestrating what CBD termed a “festival of insults” against Akume across television, radio and social media platforms.

“Some of the individuals who championed these attacks have been rewarded with key appointments in the current administration,” the CBD alleged.

Despite these developments, CBD maintained that Akume had consistently preached peace. “In all of these, Senator George Akume has always maintained that the Benue people should pray for Governor Alia to succeed,” it said.

The group cited the 2024 burial of the late Wantaregh Paul Iorpuu Unongo, where it alleged that attempts were made to sideline the SGF, yet he publicly appealed to the governor to work together for the good of the state.

CBD, however, expressed shock that Vice President Shettima had repeatedly urged Akume to make peace without, in its view, calling Governor Alia to order.

“It is shocking that anytime the Vice President comments on the crisis, he fails to call Governor Alia to order but makes remarks capable of being misconstrued that the SGF is fighting the governor,” the group said.

The group referenced an August 2023 event in Abuja where Governor Alia reportedly referred to Akume as “my son,” contrasting it with the governor’s earlier description of him as “my leader” during the 2023 campaigns.

“When Kashim Shettima mounted the rostrum, he said he could not call the SGF his son but would rather address him as an elder statesman,” CBD recalled, questioning why the Vice President still appeared to place the burden of reconciliation on Akume.

Drawing comparisons with the Rivers State political crisis, the group asked whether Shettima would publicly urge the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to reach out to Governor Sim Fubara in similar fashion.

Invoking Tiv cultural norms, CBD argued that in disputes between an elder and a younger person, “the younger one is expected to reach out to the elder for peaceful resolution,” not the other way round.

The group also raised concerns over alleged parallel congresses in Benue APC, claiming that while other states conducted affirmation processes in line with party directives, Benue witnessed the replacement of executives at all levels.

Beyond party politics, CBD accused the Vice President of focusing more on APC structures in Benue than on the state’s security challenges.

“During the 2023 campaigns, the Vice President promised to take charge of security and lead the fight against terrorists and bandits. Has he fulfilled that promise?” the group queried.

It also recalled President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive during a visit to Benue following the Yelewata massacre, where he advised the governor to constitute a peace committee to unify warring factions, noting that “up till date, no one has heard of that committee.”

While stating that it was not opposed to mediation, CBD said it would have been “more honourable” for the Vice President to hold closed-door meetings with the parties involved rather than making public comments at unrelated events.

The group concluded by declaring that “Senator Dr. George Akume remains the political leader of Benue State” and insisted that “his only crime was ensuring that Hyacinth Alia emerged as governor in 2023.”

CBD also used the occasion to urge Governor Alia to shelve plans to establish a Disarmament, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) camp in the state, arguing that priority should instead be given to rebuilding destroyed communities and resettling displaced persons.

“We urge His Excellency not to put the lives of terrorists above those they maimed, killed and displaced,” the group said.