Nigerian Concord Newspaper
The political significance of the courtesy visit by the immediate past Governor of Benue State and Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Chief Samuel Ortom to former Governor of Zamfara State and Director General of the Tinubu/Shettima 2027 Campaign Council, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, cannot be dismissed as an ordinary meeting between political allies.
It is a development that offers a glimpse into the evolving political architecture ahead of the 2027 general elections and, more importantly, provides compelling evidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s support base in Benue State is expanding beyond the traditional boundaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Politics is ultimately about building alliances, and the politicians who win elections are often those who understand that electoral success is determined not merely by party labels but by the ability to assemble broad coalitions of interests, influence and grassroots structures. That process appears to be unfolding before our eyes.
Chief Samuel Ortom has never hidden his support for President Tinubu for 2027. Shortly after the President assumed office, the former Benue governor, while speaking at a public event in Port Harcourt, endorsed Tinubu for a second term. In recent weeks, Ortom reaffirmed that endorsement, aligning himself with the position championed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and National Leader of the PDP, Chief Nyesom Wike who has consistently argued that national interest should take precedence over blind partisan considerations.
The Abuja meeting with Senator Yari therefore carries strategic implications. Yari occupies one of the most critical positions in the Tinubu re-election project as Director General of the Tinubu/Shettima 2027 Campaign Council. Any engagement between him and Ortom naturally attracts attention because both men command substantial political structures and enjoy considerable influence within their respective constituencies.
For Benue State, the implications are profound.
Chief Ortom remains arguably one of the most influential political leaders in the state. His political network cuts across local government areas, wards and polling units. Even after leaving office, he continues to exercise significant influence within the PDP and among independent political actors who respect his leadership.
This means that President Tinubu is steadily attracting influential political stakeholders from outside his party, thereby creating a broader and more formidable coalition capable of delivering electoral dividends.
The emerging alliance is particularly significant because it reflects a growing convergence of interests between prominent figures in the APC and influential leaders within the PDP. What is taking shape is not merely cooperation between individuals but the gradual construction of a rainbow coalition united by a common political objective.
For President Tinubu, this development could prove decisive.
In 2023, he won the presidency despite facing stiff opposition from multiple fronts. Heading into 2027, he appears determined not only to defend his mandate but also to consolidate support in states where political divisions previously limited the APC’s reach. Benue is increasingly looking like one of those states.
The Ortom factor alone changes the political calculations. The combination of Tinubu’s incumbency, the support of Wike and his allies across the country, the organizational capacity of Senator Abdulaziz Yari, and the grassroots influence of other key political figures like Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN who is the PDP gubernatorial candidate in Benue State for the 2027 election, that cannot be ignored.
Those who continue to view Benue politics strictly through the lens of APC versus PDP may therefore be missing the larger picture. The battle lines for 2027 are being redrawn. Old assumptions are giving way to new realities. Political relationships that once appeared impossible are becoming increasingly practical.
The Ortom-Yari meeting is one of the clearest indications yet that the coalition supporting President Tinubu’s re-election is expanding and deepening.
In politics, elections are often won long before ballots are cast. They are won through strategic alliances such as what the PDP and the SGF, Senator George Akume-led APC are doing in Benue State, as well as the ability to bring together diverse political interests under a common banner.
That process is already underway.
And if current developments are anything to go by, President Bola Tinubu’s path to securing a stronger showing in Benue State in 2027 may have become considerably clearer.
* Mande is a public affairs analyst.