The Benue State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has firmly denied speculations linking the party to Governor Hyacinth Alia, dismissing the claims as a desperate attempt by political detractors to undermine its credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday in Makurdi, the ADC’s State Publicity Secretary, Stevie Ayua, clarified that the party has no affiliations with the Governor or the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
“This clarification has become necessary to dispel unfounded rumors circulating in certain circles that the ADC is an alternative platform for Governor Alia should he fail to secure the nomination of his party, the APC, for a second tenure,” Ayua stated.
He described the rumours as a smear campaign orchestrated by “failed politicians and mischief makers” bent on confusing the electorate and demarketing the ADC’s growing popularity across the state.
Ayua noted that following the official unveiling of the party in Benue State on July 10, 2025, there had been a surge in interest from enthusiastic citizens eager to register as members—a momentum entirely driven by grassroots mobilization and internal party funding.
“All of these activities of the ADC so far, from the state unveiling event, awareness creation, mobilization, membership registration and Local Government Chapter inaugurations are being funded with voluntary contributions by dedicated stakeholders and party faithful,” Ayua emphasized.
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He maintained that the party’s operations are independent and devoid of any financial influence from external actors, especially the current APC-led administration in the state.
“We are proud to declare that our party’s funding and operations are independent of any external influence particularly from Governor Alia and the Benue State government. We do not and will not accept any contributions from the Benue State Governor or any other person at that who is not our member for the organization and administration of our party,” he said.
According to him, the ADC in Benue is founded on clear ideological principles that distinguish it from the political status quo and will not serve as a refuge for politicians seeking a fallback option for purely opportunistic reasons.
“The ADC Benue State Chapter therefore wishes to categorically disassociate itself from any perceived link or affiliation with the incumbent Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and his government,” the statement continued.
“We want to state unequivocally that while the ADC as the party to beat in 2027 is open and willing to welcome all Nigerians, including Governor Alia, the ADC is not a refuge for politicians who do not believe in its ideology but merely seek to use its platform for electoral convenience.”
“Our party is built on principles and policies aimed at rescuing Nigeria and Benue State in particular from the failed experiment of the current administration and others like it. We will not serve as a receptacle for politicians looking to exploit our platform for personal or political gain without sharing our vision for Nigeria and the state.”
Reaffirming the party’s mission, Ayua stressed that the ADC remains focused on reclaiming Benue State through a credible, people-oriented agenda and would not be distracted by what he described as baseless political gossip.
“To those peddling these false narratives in an attempt to undermine the ADC, we advise them to focus on addressing the problems within their own parties rather than trying to undermine a political party that is committed to bringing about real change in Nigeria and Benue State in particular.”
“While the ADC which we represent in Benue State remains a platform for all, we reject any suggestions of any link or fraternal association with the APC government of Benue State as being rumoured by failed politicians and mischief makers hoping to demarket our party with such baseless and unfounded rumours,” he concluded.
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