A faction of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Benue South Senatorial District has broken ranks with its party’s 2027 ticket, endorsing President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for president and Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Benue South senate seat.
The group, calling itself the NDC Integrity Group, said the move aligns with a broader “strategic alliance” being promoted in Benue State by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
The endorsement, declared Friday during a courtesy visit to Moro at the National Assembly, puts the group at odds with the NDC’s formal candidates—Peter Obi for president and Daniel Onjeh for the Benue South senate seat—while backing rivals from the APC and PDP.
Group leaders framed the decision as an “electoral coalition” strategy aimed at maximizing representation for Zone C (Benue South) rather than adhering strictly to party lines.
Presidential pick: President Tinubu (APC)
Senatorial pick: Abba Moro (PDP), the incumbent Senate Minority Leader
Rationale cited: Continuity of an “effective voice” for Benue South in the 11th National Assembly and a results-based assessment of federal projects affecting the zone.
Yakubu Audu, the group’s zonal coordinator, argued that Moro’s performance since 2019 justified backing him even though he is outside the NDC.
“We cannot bring any new person into the Senate for Benue South at this time without the needed voice”,
Audu said, adding that the group was taking “the right step in the general interest of Benue South.”
Emmanuel Orih, the state coordinator, said the stance reflects a pragmatic coalition concept.
“For the 2027 general election… our concept is electoral coalition,” he said, explaining why the group prefers Moro for the senate and Tinubu for the presidency.
The group also voiced support for the Akume-led strategic alliance in Benue, an initiative that has been described in separate reports as an effort to foster cross-party cooperation in the state’s 2027 leadership contest.
Moro thanked the group for prioritizing Benue South’s interests above partisan considerations and said candidate selection should hinge on “a comparison between promises and verifiable achievements.”
He pointed to federal road projects as evidence, citing the completed Abuja–Keffi–Makurdi Road and ongoing work on the Otukpo–Enugu Federal Highway as reasons to favor Tinubu.
“For the presidential election, are we to listen to candidates who will come and tell us what they plan to do, or vote for the one who is already doing concrete things?” Moro asked, arguing that Tinubu’s record on infrastructure should guide voters.
Moro also urged the group to apply the same performance-based standard to the Benue governorship race. He criticized Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration for allegedly failing to commission any project in Benue South over three years and referenced financial assistance reportedly provided to families of attack victims in the state.
He stressed that his critique targeted the administration, not Alia personally or the Tiv ethnic group. “I am not against Father Alia, but against the government led by him,” he said.
The endorsement adds to a swirl of 2027 maneuvering in Benue South.
Moro recently flagged off his re-election campaign and has accused the Alia administration of neglecting Zone C, a charge echoed in multiple reports.
