Benue APC, PDP in strategic deal for leadership – Aondoakaa

From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi

The Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the leadership of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state are currently in a strategic partnership to produce good leadership in the state come 2027.

Former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, disclosed this on Sunday when he spoke to newsmen at former Governor Samuel Ortom’s residence in Makurdi. Chief Ortom was playing host to his former appointees, who paid him a solidarity visit.

Aondoakaa, a governorship aspirant for the 2027 general election on the platform of the APC, said the aim of the partnership was to ensure good leadership emerges in the stat,e irrespective of the party.

He said: “We are collaborating together with PDP under the leadership of APC. Our leader has formed an alliance, partnership, both at the national level and here in Benue. We appear to be heading towards one direction which is good leadership and the idea is to ensure that the state, Benue State, have good leadership.

“We are not talking of merger. All over the world, parties have strategic partnership. In fact, some parties do not participate in national elections.

“The parties are formed to participate in the state where they belong and what they do is that they look at the national level and collaborate with whichever parties they want but their primary focus is to win the election within their states or municipal areas.

“So, now we have two major political parties in Nigeria, APC and PDP, and the APC and PDP have entered into strategic management partnership with Senator George Akume-led APC in North Central.

“The idea is to ensure that good leadership exists in North Central irrespective of who emerges within the two political parties.”

Asked if a consensus candidate would emerge from the strategic partnership come 2027, Aondoakaa said: “We are both at the national level and the state level and particularly Benue. I think the leaders will tell us what they want with this partnership.

“We are politicians. The saddest thing is for a politician, irrespective of your political party, to be retired prematurely.”

He urged all party leaders in both APC and PDP to go back home and explain to their people that there’s a strategic partnership to ensure that Benue gets the leadership she deserves, saying: “If we do not do that, then we have all put ourselves in the time of future disaster.”