19/08/2026
Strategic partnership: That long road to nowhere.
I have pondered over the idea of this Benue PDP, Wike faction contraption called "Strategic partnership." What is it all about and what does it seek to achieve?.
Fundamentally, one would safely view it as an attempt to quickly bounce back after the abysmal 8 years performance of former Governor Ortom and his few supporters. I say few supporters because, you will recall, PDP split a few years ago with 90% of it moving to the ADC and the 10% with Ortom.
Having failed in every election in 2023, what is left of that outfit still ambitiously seeks to bounce back and get into government by some means. They thus concuted that phrase, "Strategic partnership" and went out shopping for a structure to anchor that desperate drive back to power.
At the beginning, they sought to offer Senator Akume the platform. They calculated that Alia, Akume's estranged protégé, would seize control of the APC and leave Akume and his loyalists without a platform. It tuned out as they hoped, Alia seized the APC However, contrary to their expectations, Sen. Akume declined their offer and chose instead to fight to field his loyalists in APC.
Mr. Ortom, frustrated, populated the PDP slots with whoever was available.
Today, they have again, offered Sen. Akume their gubernatorial candidate, Mike Aondoakaa SAN. They hope that Akume, having not succeeded in subplanting Alia in the APC nomination, might opt to throw his structure, a thing Ortom doesn't have, behind Aondoakaa.
Let us look at things as they stand for PDP today.
1. Presidential candidate: The wike PDP, where Ortom belongs, hasn't a presidential candidate. Their boss, Wike has since endorsed Tinubu
2. Senatorial candidates for Zone A, the PDP has presented Mr. Tyolumun Unongu. As it were, the group they want to partener with, has Senator Emmanuel Udende as APC candidate. Implication is they might throw young Unongu under the bus in favor of Udende in the hope that Udende may considering suppprting their candidate for Governor. Meaning, PDP has zero chance.
3. Senatorial candidate for Zone B: Here too, PDP has fielded Ortoms wife, Eunice. Problem is, Senator Titus Zam, one of Akume's favorites is her opponent in the APC whose partenership they seek. Implication is that PDP has zero chance there too.
4. In Zone C, the dynamics are different and Abba Morro is running on his own strengts.
5. The situation is similar for House of Reps seats where PDP candidates will be expected to capitulate before their Strategic partners.
So, on the 16th of January, at the first set of elections, it looks likely and appropriate too, that PDP in Benue will not win one election. Not one. They will be hoping that Tinubu will win and then in the following three weeks, at the next set of elections, without any showing at the first set of elections, Tinubu (who they hope will win) will hand Benue to them and not his party. Strange.
Politics is about building structures, fielding quality candidates and workig for their victory. Never was it known, that a party would field candidates in its party and go campaigning to leaders of another party, seeking their structure to win elections. That is building upon sand.
The PDP experienced the pains of voting "elections according to elections," the famous theory of Samuel Ortom, however, given that they have no support base, no structure, they have no choice but to go cap in hand seeking that "partnership."
Finally, let me ask this question. In the Gbemacha house of Assembly seat, a strategic partenership hopeful, former speaker Dajoh moved to the PDP after not getting APC's nomination. Eventually, the Akume group got a candidate fielded in that seat in the APC. He is from the same ward as Rt. Hon. Dajoh. So, who will the Akume loyalists be supporting, their own nominee or a strategic partner, Dajoh?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Shagba Tersugh.
Coordinator Benue state ADC social media
