Ahead of the All Progressives Congress House of Representatives primaries scheduled for Saturday in Benue State, no fewer than 81 aspirants have entered the race for different federal constituencies across the state.
The list of contestants, released early Saturday, showed that the Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency recorded the highest number of aspirants, with 14 party members seeking the ticket. The constituency is known as the political base of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
In the Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency, seven aspirants joined the contest for the APC ticket. Among those seeking the position is Regina Akume, wife of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, who is from the area.
The Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency also attracted attention as Blessing Onuh, daughter of former Senate President David Mark, joined three other aspirants in the battle for the party’s ticket.
As political activities gathered momentum, the APC secretariat in Benue witnessed heavy movement of aspirants, supporters and party officials preparing for the primary elections.
The primaries are taking place at a time when leaders of the APC in the state are making efforts to settle internal disagreements that have affected the party for months. The crisis has mainly involved political camps loyal to Governor Alia and former governor George Akume.
Party stakeholders are hoping the conduct of the primaries will help reduce tension and strengthen unity within the APC ahead of future elections in the state.