By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA — President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting behind closed doors with Benue State Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia and former governor Senator Gabriel Suswam at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid a crisis over the Benue Central All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial ticket.
Former governor Suswam, who recently left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC, contested for the party’s Benue Central senatorial ticket and was declared the winner, but the appeal committee overturned the result.
Details of the meeting with the President are not immediately available, as discussions are being held behind closed doors.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of a deepening crisis within the Benue chapter of the ruling APC, where Governor Alia and supporters of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, remain locked in a battle for control of the party’s structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Although it could not be independently confirmed whether the Benue political situation featured on the agenda, the timing of the meeting has heightened speculation that it is connected to efforts by the Presidency to ease tensions, reconcile contending interests, and promote unity within the state’s political class.
The Presidency had yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the meeting at the time of filing this report.
