AGADA: WHEN PERSONAL GRIEVANCE IS MISTAKEN FOR POLITICAL MANDATE

AGADA: WHEN PERSONAL GRIEVANCE IS MISTAKEN FOR POLITICAL MANDATE

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Hon. Austin Agada’s latest declaration that Governor Hyacinth Alia has given him “no reason” to support the Governor’s re-election bid in 2027 is neither surprising nor particularly consequential.

At best, it is a statement of personal political preference. What Agada must not do, however, is dress what appears to be a personal grievance in the robes of a collective Benue APC position.

The APC in Benue is bigger than any individual, faction or former office holder, and the party’s political machinery is already engaged in mobilisation, consultation and consolidation ahead of 2027.

Agada, a former Chairman of the party in the State, cannot reasonably present himself as the uncontested voice of the entire Benue APC.

There is also something curious about Agada’s sudden discovery that the Governor has given him “no reason” to support his second term. Politics is not a marketplace where support is exchanged for personal gratification, contracts, appointments or private expectations.

Agada, by his own account, had previously demanded contracts, political appointments, party finances and other concessions from the administration. The public is therefore entitled to ask whether his present grievance is genuinely about governance or is connected to unmet personal and political expectations.

These are matters that cannot simply be erased from the political history of his tenure as APC State Chairman because he has now found a media platform from which to criticise the Governor.

It is also on record that during the last election, there were complaints from different quarters, including allegations within the Benue APC that state election campaign funds were diverted. Following the elections, there were further allegations that demobilisation funds disappeared on separate occasions after stakeholders’ meetings at Government House.

Party members, support groups and some members of the party’s State Working Committee were also reported to have repeatedly raised concerns about his handling and reporting of party finances.

These controversies were not simply manifestations of principled opposition; they formed part of the circumstances that contributed to the political crisis within the party at the time.

His strained relationship with the Governor, stakeholders and others within the party was also evident to those who witnessed the affairs of the party during his tenure as Chairman.

It is therefore remarkable that the same individual now seeks to lecture the public about political accommodation, inclusion and responsible leadership.

Agada’s attempt to turn his personal decision about the 2027 election into a wider political statement is therefore misplaced and potentially misleading.

The people of Benue will ultimately assess the administration of Governor Alia based on what they see, measure and experience, rather than on whether Hon. Austin Agada has personally found a “reason” to campaign for him.

Likewise, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 political project cannot logically depend on the endorsement of one former State Chairman.

Indeed, Agada has reportedly declared that his immediate political priority is mobilising grassroots support in Benue for President Tinubu’s 2027 re-election. If that remains his position, then his political messaging should be consistent. He cannot invoke President Tinubu when convenient while simultaneously advancing a narrative that could undermine the APC administration in Benue, which is expected to mobilise alongside the President.

There is another matter Agada should understand: political relevance is not conferred simply by repeatedly announcing oneself as “Chairman.” It is earned through recognised structures, functioning institutions, grassroots confidence and the ability to bring people together.