2027: Benue South loses out again as NDC picks Terhemba Shija as guber candidate

The quest by Benue South Senatorial District (Zone C) to produce the next governor of Benue State suffered another major setback on Saturday as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) officially unveiled Prof. Terhemba Shija as its governorship candidate for the 2027 general election.

Shija’s emergence effectively shut the door on the governorship ambition of one of the leading aspirants from Benue South, Dr. Andrew Aba, who has now declared an end to his bid for the state’s top job under the party.

The development was announced in a statement issued by the Benue State Publicity Secretary of the NDC, Agile Bem, on behalf of the State Chairman, Mr. Ohini Ojegbe.

According to the statement, Shija, accompanied by party leaders, visited the NDC National Secretariat, where he obtained his nomination form, bringing the party’s governorship nomination process to a close.

Following Shija’s emergence, the NDC leadership reportedly offered the deputy governorship ticket to Andrew Aba in a bid to foster unity within the party. However, the Benue South politician rejected the offer, insisting that his ambition was to govern the state.

Aba described the outcome as the end of the road for his 2027 governorship aspiration, bringing to a close months of consultations and campaigns across the state.

With the NDC ticket now settled in favour of a candidate from Benue North-East, Benue South’s quest to secure the governorship ticket of another major political party has suffered yet another setback, further narrowing the district’s options ahead of the 2027 election.

Speaking after obtaining his nomination form, Shija thanked the party leadership and members for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to provide purposeful leadership if elected governor.

“I will not disappoint the party and its supporters but will work diligently towards providing purposeful leadership for Benue State,” he said.

He also appealed to other aspirants to accept his emergence in the spirit of sportsmanship and work together to strengthen the party ahead of the governorship election.

The party further disclosed that Shija’s name had been uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal, completing the nomination process.