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The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Benue State, Herman Hembe, has pledged to serve only one term in office if elected governor in 2027, promising to hand over power to a governor from Benue South Senatorial District in 2031.
Hembe made the pledge in Makurdi during the unveiling of his running mate, Mr John Abba, as the party’s deputy governorship candidate.
He said the selection of Abba followed a transparent consultation process supervised by the National Chairman of the ADC, Senator David Mark.
According to him, shortly after emerging as the party’s governorship candidate, he constituted a team to consult with stakeholders and select a suitable running mate, saying, “We constituted a team to consult and get the deputy governorship candidate, and our leader, David Mark, ensured the process was transparent.”
He congratulated Abba on his emergence, expressing confidence that the ticket would lead the party to victory in the 2027 governorship election.
The ADC candidate also expressed optimism that the party would win the presidential election, saying political permutations favoured its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and arguing that the votes from the southern part of the country would be divided between Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu, making it difficult for either candidate to defeat Atiku across the three northern geopolitical zones.
Hembe said, “Our plan is that the votes from the southern part of the country will be shared between Peter Obi and Bola Tinubu, and we are very sure that none of Obi and Tinubu will be able to defeat Atiku in the three geopolitical zones in the north.”
He therefore charged ADC members to work tirelessly for all the party’s candidates, particularly in the presidential and National Assembly elections, saying a victory for the party at the presidential and National Assembly levels would create a “bandwagon effect” that would benefit the party in the governorship election.
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He stated, “Our hardest job is to work and ensure that our party wins the presidential and National Assembly elections. Then, we will just go and sleep because that victory will have a positive effect on our election.”
On the issue of power rotation in Benue State, Hembe pledged that his administration, if elected, would serve only one term, saying this would complete the eight-year tenure of the Jechira zone before power shifts to Benue South, popularly known as Zone C.
He said the decision was intended to create a new political precedent in the state and pave the way for an Idoma governor in 2031.
Speaking to newsmen, ADC candidate for Benue South Senatorial District, Dr David Olofu, said, “Our party, the ADC, is a party of equity, fairness and justice and that is what we are bringing to Benue. You heard clearly, when our governorship candidate said after the next four years, we expect that the people of Benue South will be considered by the entire Benue State.
“So it will not be a Benue South Governor; it will be a Benue State governor, to be a Benue State government from Benue South. That is our expectation, and by the grace of God, that is the policy that this party will pursue and implement.”
Olofu urged the people of Benue South to support the Hembe/Abba ticket to enable it to emerge and work towards the Idoma governorship.
He also noted that the National Chairman of ADC is their leader and son, urging that, “We must, as a matter of necessity, queue behind him, work tirelessly for ADC and ensure that our governorship candidate, Herman Hembe, becomes the governor of this state come 2027. That is what we are prepared to do, and that is what we are going to do.”
