Nigerian Concord Newspaper
The 2027 bid of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Benue State, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, received a boost on Thursday as the Jukun Awanu Elders Forum endorsed his candidacy for the 2027 governorship election and pledged to mobilize massive support for him.
The elders made their position known when a delegation of the forum paid a solidarity visit to Chief Aondoakaa at his residence in Makurdi.
Leader of the delegation, Innocent Abayilo, said the Jukun community has closely watched political developments in the state and has arrived at the conclusion that Aondoakaa is the best man to take over the leadership of Benue in 2027.
According to Abayilo, the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice has demonstrated the capacity to govern beyond ethnic, religious and political considerations and would provide inclusive leadership for all Benue people.
He said the forum was not only endorsing Aondoakaa but was prepared to mobilize massive support for his emergence as governor.
Responding, Chief Aondoakaa thanked the elders for their solidarity and confidence in his candidacy, assuring them that his administration would guarantee equal treatment and a strong sense of belonging for the Jukun people.
The PDP candidate declared that Jukuns living in Benue would be treated as indigenes of the state and not as visitors under his administration.
“If you support me to win, I will not disappoint you. I will work with you and every other ethnic group in the interest of our dear state,” he said.
The PDP governorship candidate also placed security and the restoration of peace at the centre of his campaign agenda, promising to create an environment where farmers could return to their ancestral lands and businesses could operate without fear.
He pledged to pursue policies aimed at deepening harmony among Benue’s diverse ethnic communities, stressing that development could only take place in an atmosphere of security, unity and mutual trust.
The endorsement by the Jukun Awanu Elders Forum comes as Aondoakaa intensifies consultations with communities and interest groups across the state ahead of the 2027 election, with his campaign increasingly placing emphasis on inclusion, security and the restoration of peaceful coexistence among Benue’s various ethnic groups.