The Senate minority leader, Senator Abba Moro has expressed support for the emerging political alliance backing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Benue Zone C, saying extraordinary national challenges require extraordinary solutions.
Senator Moro, who represent Benue South senatorial district said political alliances and alignments could either strengthen or undermine a government, urging stakeholders to ensure that the current alliance does not become a source of instability.
The lawmaker spoke on Friday when he played host to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) Integrity Group from Zone C of Benue state in Abuja.
This comes as the group aligned with the aspiration of Senator Moro for the seat of the Benue South senatorial zone in the 2027 general elections.
Senator Moro said he was a committed member of the strategic alliance championed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and former Governor of Benue State, Senator George Akume.
He said the alliance was particularly significant to minority communities, stressing that unity remained essential despite political differences.
According to him, public office is a trust, saying politics should ultimately be driven by considerations of humanity and the welfare of the people.
The senator also acknowledged an endorsement of President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections, saying voters should consider the realities on the ground rather than relying solely on promises by presidential candidates.
He cited the ongoing construction of the Abuja-Keffi-Makurdi Road and its extension towards Otukpo and Enugu as one of the projects through which the Tinubu administration had impacted his constituency.
He said the project had made Makurdi a more accessible route for travellers from Benue to Abuja, compared with the Oweto route, which he described as being in deplorable condition.
“Maybe we should be thinking about the reality rather than the promises,” he said.
Turning his attention to the Benue State Government, the senator launched a strong criticism of Governor Hyacinth Alia over what he described as neglect of Benue South.
He alleged that the governor had spent more than three years in office without commissioning a significant project in the senatorial district, despite embarking on a thank-you tour of local government areas.
The senator also criticised the governor for allegedly celebrating the construction of a borehole in a primary school as an achievement, while accusing the administration of receiving substantial monthly allocations from the Federation Account.
He rejected claims that the state government had transformed Benue South, saying such assertions were, in his view, unsupported by developments on the ground.
The senator also challenged claims that improved security in parts of the district was primarily the result of the governor’s policies.
He accused the governor of failing to adequately respond to attacks on communities and alleged that the governor had not sufficiently visited affected communities to sympathise with victims.
He urged community leaders and residents to speak openly about the challenges confronting Benue South, stressing that the interests of minority communities should not be overlooked.
“I want you to have the courage to tell the story. And I want you to have the courage to tell the rest of the world that our communities matter, that minorities matter,” he said.
The senator, however, clarified that his criticism was not borne out of personal opposition to Governor Alia.
“I’m not against Father Alia, or the Tiv nation, but his administration, he said.
Earlier, Hon. Yakubu Audu, zonal coordinator of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) from Apa Local Government Area of Benue State, declared support for the re-election of Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro, for a third term.
Audu said his decision to align with Moro was not motivated by personal disappointment or the loss of the party ticket.
He said he and other NDC stakeholders were backing Moro because of his record of representation and his position as a voice for the Idoma people in the National Assembly.
According to him, being members of a minority ethnic group requires them to support leaders capable of giving the people an effective voice at the national level.
“We didn’t gather here because we were denied tickets. We gathered here because we want to make the right choice. We are a minority in our state, and as a minority, we must have a voice.”
He also announced the group’s support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the continued leadership of Moro in the Senate would be better secured if the President retained his position.
He said the group had also recently engaged former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, as part of what he described as a strategic political partnership.
“We are not leaving our party. We are members of NDC, but we want to acknowledge the works of our senator and align with him for his re-election for a third term,” he said.
He added that the group had reviewed the political situation in the senatorial district and concluded that Moro remained a leader capable of effectively representing the area.
On his part, the state coordinator of NDC Integrity Group, Emmanuel Orih said the zone’s influence at the national level was a product of the quality of leaders it had consistently sent to the National Assembly.
He said Benue South had been privileged to produce both minority and majority leaders because of the intellectual capacity and political dexterity of its representatives.
According to him, the zone must continue to send progressive, pragmatic and innovative leaders capable of advancing its interests.
He said, “We must be very careful about who we choose to go back in 2027 because we want a voice in the National Assembly. That person is no other person than our distinguished Senator Abba Moro, whom we want to go back again to represent us in the 11th Assembly.”
The group also cited Moro’s legislative initiatives, particularly his advocacy for a constitutional rotational clause, as one of the reasons for backing his candidacy.
It said such a constitutional provision, if enacted, could strengthen political inclusion and create opportunities for minority groups to attain elective positions, including governorship and the presidency.
