Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has declared that the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primaries held on Thursday was a unanimous approval of his administration’s performance across critical sectors in Benue State.
The governor stated this following his formal acceptance of his emergence as the party’s gubernatorial flag bearer ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, said in a statement that the results of the APC gubernatorial primaries held on Thursday, May 21, 2026, were officially declared on Friday, May 22, 2026, at the APC State Secretariat in Makurdi by the Chairman of the APC Governorship Primaries Committee, Professor Mohammed Kabiru Isa.
According to the statement, Prof. Isa announced Governor Alia as the winner, having scored 367,786 votes to defeat his closest contender, Dr. Terwase Orbunde, who polled 3,247 votes.
In his acceptance speech, Governor Alia described his victory as a mandate for continuity and thanked party faithful for what he called “an overwhelming show of confidence in his leadership and vision for a prosperous Benue.”
He praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for ensuring a level playing field during the APC primaries, and commended the national leadership of the party under Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, as well as the Benue APC leadership led by Chief Benjamin Omale, for conducting a peaceful and transparent exercise.
Meanwhile, in a major reconciliation move, the governor extended a hand of fellowship to fellow aspirants, urging them to unite behind the party’s common goal of securing victory in the 2027 elections and sustaining ongoing developmental projects across the state.
Highlighting the achievements of his administration in the last three years, Alia reeled out an ambitious scorecard spanning industrialization, healthcare, infrastructure, education, and digital innovation.
The governor stated that the state has witnessed the establishment and revival of several industries under the Benue Investment and Property Company (BIPC), including the now-operational brewery producing Zeva Premium Beer and Oyi Bitters, alongside water, bakery, nails, polythene, and fruit juice factories.
He further disclosed that his administration has remodeled and equipped the Benue State University Teaching Hospital into a modern medical hub, rehabilitated over one hundred primary healthcare centres across the state, and constructed more than 500 kilometers of roads, including underpasses in Makurdi and Gboko.
He pointed out that in the education sector, over 400 classroom blocks are currently under construction or remodeling across public primary schools, while more than 10,000 teachers have been recruited to strengthen learning outcomes. He added that the newly established Benue State University of Agriculture, Science and Technology at Ihugh was strategically designed to produce science and agro-technology-driven graduates capable of solving practical societal challenges.
The governor also emphasized his administration’s digital transformation agenda, revealing partnerships with Microsoft and Google to train over 10,000 youths in ICT, alongside ongoing e-governance training for civil servants.
While calling for peace and unity across political, ethnic, and religious divides, he assured Benue citizens that he would continue to govern with the fear of God, transparency, compassion, and accountability. He insisted that his acceptance of the APC ticket was not a personal triumph, but a call to greater service.
