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Says it was royal blessings
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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Supreme Council, Ijirtamen, of the Tiv Area Traditional Council (TATC) has debunked reports in the media that they have endorsed the Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, for reelection come 2027.
This was coming a few days after the Governor, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, Tersoo Kula, expressed “gratitude to the Ijir Tamen I Tiv (Supreme Council of the Tiv Nation), ably led by the Supreme Leader of the Tiv Nation, His Royal Majesty, Orchivirigh Prof. James Iorzua Ortese Ayatse, Tor Tiv V, for endorsing him for a second term as Governor of Benue State.”
Governor Alia had described the endorsement as a historic pronouncement and a unique gesture, coming from the apex traditional authority of the Tiv Nation, saying, “It is both humbling and deeply inspiring and represents an overwhelming vote of confidence in my leadership, integrity, and the transformative strides already being witnessed across the state under my administration.”
But in a statement to clarify their decisions at the meeting, which was held on November 8, 2025, in Gboko, the Tiv Area Traditional Council said what they did was give the governor a royal blessing as he requested, but not an endorsement.
A statement signed by the Secretary of the Council, Shinyi Tyozua, and made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Tuesday, said the Ijirtamen, which is the highest traditional council of the Tiv nation, had met and, among other issues, reviewed security issues in the Tiv kingdom and received updates on the forthcoming Tiv Day/summit, continuous voter registration (CVR), Kasev Tiv Bam (KTB), and the introduction of Tiv Television, as well as the review of Tiv culture and tradition.
The statement said the Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, attended the meeting on special invitation and addressed the council, highlighting the achievements of his administration in key sectors including health, education, ICT, agriculture, infrastructure, economy and human capital development, among others.
“He appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the support in tackling insecurity and urged for cooperation with security agencies to fight insecurity in our communities.
“He expressed gratitude to the Ijirtamen for the confidence, trust, and cooperation in his leadership that have enabled him to achieve a lot in just over two years of his administration and requested royal blessings beyond 2027 to consolidate his achievements to build a greater Benue State.
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“The Royal Fathers, in response to the Governor’s request to be given blessings (allowed or prayed for) to seek an additional four years (seek a second tenure), Council gave the Royal Blessings that he should go ahead.
“This is normal, routine, and also in line with tradition, and it does not stop the blessings of other sons and daughters of the land who may visit the palace to also seek the blessings for the same position or another.”
The council said to clear the misinformation circulating in the media, “Royal Fathers don’t endorse or approve candidates for elections because they don’t have that authority to do so, but they have the authority traditionally to bless; pray for favour, for their subjects who request for it in their quest for elective or appointive positions.
“To report that traditional rulers, individually or in council, have endorsed an aspirant is inappropriate because it is the political process that has the authority to endorse (approve or choose) an aspirant as a candidate and vote for the same during elections.
“What happened at the meeting in Gboko was royal blessings and not endorsement as aforestated. It is hoped that these clarifications will help some people who were ignorant or ill-informed of the decisions of Ijirtamen to gain a better understanding of what happened.”
The council also clarified, among other issues, that the decisions on the review of Tiv culture and tradition affecting marriage, burial, inheritance, and others were not new decisions but a reminder of what had been decided several years ago, and to assess compliance.
The statement said, “On burial, the Supreme Council had decided that burial should be done within 14 days after the demise of an individual. It is not three days, as it is being erroneously circulated in the media.”
According to them, culture is not static but changes with time, and Ijirtamen is the highest traditional council that has the power to direct such changes as may be considered necessary.
The council also stated that the issue of banning the consumption of Ogogoro, as also being carried in some media platforms, was not discussed at the said meeting at all.
