By Winnie Onu, Makurdi
A coalition of six opposition political parties in Benue South Senatorial District have thrown their weight behind the 2027 senatorial race of the incumbent, Senator Abba Moro.
The parties are the African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Labour Party (LP), National Rescue Movement (NRM) and Action Peoples Party (APP).
The decision followed a stakeholders’ meeting in Otukpo where party chairmen, women and youth leaders discussed the forthcoming election and agreed to mobilise support for Moro.
Representatives of the Legacy faction of the ADC, the Abure faction of the Labour Party and the ZLP publicly declared their support for the senator at the meeting.
The factional chairman of the ADC in Benue, Elias Adikwu, said his group had taken a collective decision to support Moro.
“Their decision this morning was that they have declared their support for Senator Abba Moro,” Adikwu said.
He, however, clarified that the group belonged to the “Legacy ADC”, saying the faction was involved in a legal dispute over the leadership of the party and its candidate for the election.
Adikwu said the faction was awaiting a court decision after raising concerns over the failure to upload the name of its preferred candidate by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Also, the Benue leader of the Labour Party’s Abure faction, Ibrahim Idoko, said he consulted leaders in his constituency before supporting Moro.
Idoko said the consultation involved the constituency chairman, secretary and women leader, adding that they considered the candidates before reaching their decision.
“The re-election of Senator Abba Moro is sacrosanct. After now, we will still continue to mobilise our people,” he said.
Similarly, the ZLP chairman, Simon Ogbe, said the parties conducted what he described as due diligence and verification of the candidates before deciding to support Moro.
He said the coalition would take its decision to the grassroots and mobilise more political parties ahead of the election.
Ogbe said the group was looking beyond zoning, stressing that competence, track record and integrity would be considered in choosing candidates for the 2027 elections.
“At this point we are talking about competency, we are talking about track record, and we are talking about integrity and Senator Abba Moro is the man,” he said.
He disclosed that six political parties were represented at the meeting, adding that discussions were ongoing to bring more parties into the coalition.
According to him, a formal endorsement involving the various candidates and party structures would be held in the coming days, during which the senatorial candidates are expected to withdraw from the race and endorse Moro.
The ADC women leader, Ochanya Attah, said women leaders of the participating parties had also agreed to work together to mobilise support for Moro across their constituencies.
She urged members of the parties to take the proposed alliance to their respective grassroots structures.
The stakeholders said the meeting was preparatory to a larger and formal endorsement, with plans to expand the coalition and intensify grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 Benue South senatorial election.
