A faction of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Benue South Senatorial District has chosen President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as its preferred presidential candidate for the 2027 election, despite remaining members of the NDC.
The group, known as the NDC Integrity Group, also endorsed Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for another term representing Benue South in the Senate.
Its position was announced on Friday during a courtesy visit to Moro at the National Assembly.
The members of the group explained that their decision was based on what they described as the need to protect the interests of the senatorial district rather than strictly follow party lines.
Yakubu Audu, the zonal coordinator of the group, said Moro’s record since entering the Senate in 2019 had convinced them that he should continue representing Benue South in the 11th National Assembly.
“The voice you have been giving the Benue South Senatorial District in the Senate as Minority Leader needs to be sustained in the 11th National Assembly.
“We cannot bring any new person into the Senate for Benue South at this time without the needed voice.
“In picking you outside our party as our preferred candidate for the senatorial contest, we are taking the right step in the general interest of Benue South, considering the effective representation you have given the people of the district since 2019.
“In line with the saying that whoever the cap fits should wear it, we are here to openly pledge our support for you in the coming election.”
Emmanuel Orih, the state coordinator of the NDC Integrity Group, said the arrangement was part of an electoral coalition strategy that also aligned with the strategic alliance being promoted in Benue State by Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
Orih said the group had reached its decision after considering the candidates separately for the presidential and senatorial contests.
“For the 2027 general election, particularly in Benue South, our concept is electoral coalition. This has made us to prefer Senator Abba Moro of the PDP as our candidate for the senatorial election and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC as our preferred presidential candidate.
“We are in the NDC, but we see Senator Abba Moro as the most suitable candidate for Benue South and President Bola Tinubu as the preferred candidate for the presidency.”
Moro, while receiving the group, said its decision showed that political considerations could be separated from what he described as the wider interest of Benue South.
He argued that voters should examine what candidates had already achieved rather than base their choices only on promises about what they intended to do if elected.
“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?
“President Bola Tinubu, on road infrastructure alone, has constructed the Abuja–Keffi–Makurdi Road and is also working on the Otukpo–Enugu Federal Highway.
“For me, such a person, based on the template of reality, should be the preferred presidential candidate for Benue people and not those who are merely making promises.”
The senator also asked the group to apply what he described as the same standard when considering candidates for the Benue governorship election.
Moro further clarified that his criticism of the state government was political and not directed at Governor Hyacinth Alia personally or against the Tiv people.
“I am not against Father Alia, but against the government led by him. I am not against the Tiv nation, but against the Tiv man with no regard for the existence of other tribes in the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday upheld the registration of the NDC, overturning the June 26, 2026 decision of the Federal High Court in Lokoja which had set aside an earlier order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the party. The appellate ruling was by a 2–1 majority.
The legal dispute originated from a December 10, 2025 judgment ordering INEC to register the NDC after the electoral commission had refused to recognise the party. Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja later set aside that judgment following an application by the Peace Movement Party (PMP), which claimed an interest in the logo used by the NDC.
The NDC challenged the decision at the Court of Appeal, arguing that the Federal High Court could not reopen and reverse its own final judgment in the manner it had done.
The appellate majority agreed with the NDC on that central issue and restored the earlier position recognising the party. One of the three justices, Justice Okon Abang, however, dissented.
Abang held that the original case against INEC had been filed outside the period prescribed by law and questioned the decision to institute the action in Lokoja rather than Abuja. The dissent therefore supported the Federal High Court’s position.
NDC national leader and former Bayelsa State governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, also welcomed the appellate court’s decision, saying it had restored the party’s right to participate in political activities and elections.
Dickson said the party would now focus on preparations for the 2027 elections and urged its members and candidates to concentrate on the campaign ahead.
