26/02/2026
TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE BY CONCERNED BENUE DEMOCRATS(CBD), ON THE CONTINOUS PROJECTION OF THE SGF AS THE AGGRESOR IN THE BENUE APC CRISIS, HELD ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH, 2026, IN MAKURDI.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we call you here to brief you on the latest political developments in the state, particularly the continues projection of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF) , Senator George Akume, as the aggressor in the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State.
Our attention has once again been drawn to comments made by Vice president His Excellency, Kashim Shettima, at the Progressive Governors’ Forum-Renewed Hope Ambassadors Strategic Summit on Tuesday, 24th February, 2026 in Abuja.
As you all heard, during the event which was never about Benue State, VP Shettima appealed directly to Akume to extend an olive branch to the Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia to mend fences and give peace a chance for the interest of development of the state and the APC.
This is not the first time the Vice president is making this comment, he had, on December 28, 2025, made a similar appeal at the wedding reception of Akume's son in Makurdi.
As close watchers of Benue politics and Concerned Benue Democrats(CBD), we are out to set the records straight and correct the delinerate and mischievous representation of facts.
One question that every sincere and close observer of Benue politics has been asking in over three years is, what is Senator Akume's crime against Governor Alia?
This question has become necessary because Governor Alia started disagreeing, fighting and distancing himself from the SGF and the leadership of the APC in Benue State, immediately he took the oath of office on Monday, May 29th, 2023.
Alia went against his party during the Inauguration and constitution of the leadership of the Benue State House of Assembly.
Even for party leadership positions in the Benue State House of Assembly such as Majority Leader, Majority Whip and other positions that the occupants are usually nominated by the party,Alia ensured those nominated by the party did not emerge, while the list sent by the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) for minority positions was honoured.
Governor Alia nominated and appointed commissioners without inputs from his party, the APC. All these happened within Alia's first 3 months in office.
After this, the governor embarked on the project of removing the State Chairman of the party, Comrade Austin Agada and the authentic State Working Committee of the party.
The governor declared war against his party and his appointees, the caretaker chairmen made it a habit to attempt to stop every Church activity like thanksgiving services that Akume's supporters including National Assembly members, State Assembly members, federal appointees, party stalwarts were to attend or conduct in favour of the SGF.
The governor's appointees used several derogatory words to describe the SGF and his supporters. The Governor himself called National Assembly members from Benue State U Bokoti Mbaiorobv, which can literally be translated to English as 'Bucket People' meaning people without reasoning.
Several groups such as Zone 'A' Peoples Aliance(ZAPA), Benue Alliance for Good Governance(BAGG) and several emergency groups, allegedly backed by the current administration in Benue State embarked on 'festival of insults' against Senator George Akume on National TV, national dailies, radio stations and social media platforms.
Some of the people who organized the festival of insults against Akume have been rewarded with key apointments in Alia's administration.
In all of these, Senator George Akume has always maintained that the Benue people should pray for Governor Alia to succeed.
Even at the burial of the late Wantaregh Paul Iorpuu Unongo in 2024, where everything was done for the SGF not to be recognized and to deliver the President's funeral message failed, the SGF publicly appealed on Governor Alia to come back so that they can work together.
The response by Governor Alia and his supporters to the public appeal by the SGF has been worsening hostility against the SGF and his supporters.
We have even seen groups calling for the removal of Senator George Akume as SGF been hosted at the Benue State Government House in Makurdi.
These are just some of the actions of Governor Alia's supporters against the SGF.
It is shocking that anytime Vice President Shettima elects himself to make comments on the crisis rocking the APC in Benue State, he fails to call Governor Alia to order but makes comments capable of being misconstrued the SGF is fighting Governor Alia and the aggressor in the Benue APC crisis.
It is on record that Vice President Shettima came face to face with the continuous disrespect of the SGF at an event held in Abuja in August 2023, where Governor Alia referred to Senator George Akume as "My son".
That was the same man he referred to as "My Leader", during the campaigns. He demoted the same man to the status of "My Son" after he became governor.
When Kashim Shettima mounted the rostrum, he pointed out that he couldn't call the SGF as his son, but will rather address him as an elder statesman.
Despite these glaring facts, why has the Vice President chosen to make remarks capable of being misconstrued the SGF is the aggressor in the Benue APC face-off?
To some of us, we view the VP's remarks as capable of giving the SGF bad publicity in the whole crisis.
One may be attempted to ask; Can His Excellency Shettima look at the FCT Minister, Barr Nyesom Wike and tell Wike to reach out to Governor Sim Fubara for peace in Rivers State?
Was it not same his Excellency Shettima that directed Fubara to go greet Wike at the Villa over a year during the climax of the Rivers political crisis? Why didn't Shettima appeal to Wike to reach out to Fubara to make peace?
In case the Vice President is not aware, in Tiv culture, when there exists a problem between an elder and a younger person, the younger one is expected to reach out to the elder for a peaceful resolution, while the elder is under obligation to accept the olive branch of the younger person but not the other way round.
It is quite unfortunate, Shettima wants Senator Akume who is not only the elder in this case, but also the victim to reach out to Governor Alia for peace. Would Shettima have done same if Governor Babagana Zulum had treated him same way Alia is treating Senator Akume?
Is Shettima also aware that it is only Benue State that the APC held parallel congresses?
In Borno State where Shettima comes from, the executive committee of the APC at the ward and local governments who were elected during the last Elective Congresses were returned in a Non-elective congress or affirmation as directed by the NEC of the Party but here In Benue State, Governor Alia removed all executive committee members of the party at all levels and replaced them with new people only loyal to him against the stipulations of the APC's NEC, what is the take of his Excellency Kashim Shettima on this gross disregard to the party's directive?
Shettima loves Benue so much to the point he has made it a habit to dabble into the Benue APC crisis at many public events but unfortunately, he has never said anything concerning the security challenges in Benue State.
Does it mean Shettima's interest is only in the structure of the APC in Benue State?
During the campaigns for the 2023 presidential election, the VP told the world that as Vice President, he will be in charge of security and will lead the troops against terrorists and bandits. Has he fulfilled the promise? Shouldn't Shettima be busy trying to fulfill that promise than offering ambiguous remarks on Governor Alia's feud which can be deduced by many as being bias?
We all recall that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the visit to Benue State on the Yelwata massacre at Benue Government House, advised the Governor to Constitute a peace committee to blend all warring factions and form a united Benue of our dreams but up till date no one has heard of that committee. Has our beloved Vice President care to find out how this directive of his boss the president fared? These are the many questions on the lips of our esteemed Democrats begging for answers.
None of us is against the mediation efforts of the Vice President to restore peace in our dear state and the APC but we are of the opinion that it would have been more honourable for the Vice President to have held close sessions with Governor Alia and the SGF to resolve this impulse than resulting to commentaries at events held for different purposes.
Finally, we want his Excellency, the Vice President and the world to know that the SGF, Senator Dr. George Akume is the political leader of Benue State. He is not the aggressor but the victim in the crisis rocking the APC in Benue State. The only crime of the SGF is ensuring Hyacinth Alia emerged as governor in 2023.
We also, wish to use this conference to call on the Executive Governor of Benue State His Excellency, Hyacinth Iormem Alia to shun his plan of establishing a Disarmament, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DRR) camp in the state. If priorities are to be made in this regard, the people of Benue prefers the reconstruction of homes destroyed by these terrorists and the return of people who were and are continuously been displaced to their ancestral lands. We urge his Excellency not to put the lives of those terrorists above those they maimed, killed, destroyed their properties and displaced as seen in the media.
Thank you all for honouring this event and may God bless all of you as always.
Signed:
Leonard Ikyem,
For
Concerned Benue Democrats
