NOW THAT YOUTHS AND SUPPORT GROUPS HAVE RESOLVED TO RE-ELECT GOVERNOR ALIA
By Donald Kumun
There are moments in politics when the massive weight of popular sentiment becomes impossible to ignore. Tuesday, September 8, 2026, was one of such moments in Benue State.
What was convened as an impromptu meeting of youths and support groups of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the IBB Square, Makurdi, within barely 15 hours, turned into a powerful demonstration of grassroots mobilisation and political commitment. The short notice did little to diminish the turnout. Rather, the response was overwhelming.
From across the 23 local government areas, youths and support groups arrived in their numbers, filling the IBB Square to capacity and spilling into adjoining spaces. The gathering was not merely another political meeting. It was a loud statement of confidence, loyalty, and determination: the campaign for the re-election of Rev. Fr. Dr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, the Executive Governor of Benue State, has entered a new phase.
One after another, representatives of the various groups delivered messages of solidarity, reaffirming their readiness to deploy their energy, networks, strategies and political machinery toward securing the Governor’s second-term mandate.
The significance of the gathering lies not only in its numbers, but in the diversity of the groups represented. It brought together the youthful energy of a new generation of political actors and the organisational strength of support groups that have increasingly become critical components of contemporary political mobilisation.
For Governor Alia, the message was unmistakable.
Responding to the sea of support, the Governor assured the gathering that he would not disappoint them. In a powerful characterisation of their importance, he described the youths and support groups as the arteries of the party and the original inhabitants of the masses’ political landscape.
That description captures the emerging reality of Benue politics: no serious political project can afford to overlook the youths or the grassroots structures through which popular aspirations are communicated and sustained.
Among the speakers who electrified the gathering was the Benue State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Youth Engagement (RHYE), Hon. Fidelis Msughter Unongo.
Unongo’s intervention went beyond conventional political rhetoric. He presented the re-election of Governor Alia as an opportunity to consolidate on the gains garnered so far as well as a new political culture in which young people are not merely spectators during elections, but active participants in governance and leadership.
He pointed to increased youth participation in politics, the appointment of young people to positions of responsibility, and empowerment programmes designed to equip youths with both soft and practical skills as compelling reasons for the people to support the Governor’s second-term bid.
His speech repeatedly drew spontaneous and thunderous reactions from the crowd. At various points, his words were drowned by solidarity chants, including the increasingly familiar refrain: “Nigeria—Tinubu! Benue—Alia!”
Those chants were more than slogans. They represented the political bridge the gathering sought to reinforce between the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the federal level and Governor Alia’s administration in Benue State.
Unongo consequently charged the various groups to move beyond celebration and prepare for the work ahead. He urged them to roll up their sleeves, deepen their mobilisation and approach the coming political tasks with discipline, responsibility, and strategic commitment.
And therein lies the most important lesson from the IBB Square gathering.
Political victories are rarely produced by endorsements alone. They are secured when endorsements are translated into organisation, voter engagement, persuasion and disciplined mobilisation. The youths and support groups appear ready to undertake that task.
With endorsements now coming from different directions and an increasingly visible coalition of youths and support groups rallying around Governor Alia, the political road to the Government House appears significantly less complicated than it once was.
The gathering at IBB Square may therefore be remembered as more than an impromptu meeting. It could well be the moment when a political intention became a collective resolution.
The message from the youths and support groups is clear: they have chosen to work for Governor Alia’s return. And with such an avalanche of support from left and right, the Governor’s walk back into the Benue State Government House, appears to have been considerably simplified.
Donald Kumun, a Principal Special Assistant to Governor Alia on Print Media writes from Makurdi
