Benue APC crisis: Tinubu holds closed-door meeting with Alia, Suswam in Aso Villa

President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting behind closed doors with Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, and former governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The high-level meeting comes amid escalating political tensions and a deepening leadership crisis within the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The internal rift within the Benue APC centers around an ongoing supremacy battle between Governor Alia’s camp and supporters loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.

Both factions have been locked in a fierce contest for the control of the state’s party structure ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The friction has previously led to the creation of parallel grassroots structures and disputed executive tenures within the state

More so, the meeting follows recent political realignments in the state, with Senator Suswam name dropped after the APC Senatorial primaries as a key player ahead of the next electoral cycle.

Former governor Suswam, who recently left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC, contested for the party’s Benue Central senatorial ticket and was declared the winner, but the appeal committee overturned the result.

Although it could not be independently confirmed whether the Benue political situation featured on the agenda, the timing of the meeting has heightened speculation that it is connected to efforts by the Presidency to ease tensions, reconcile contending interests, and promote unity within the state’s political class.

The Presidency had yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the meeting at the time of filing this report.