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The Labour Party (LP) in Benue State has unveiled former Okpokwu Local Government Chairman, Juliana Obetta, as the running mate for Mathias Byuan, the party Governorship candidate in the 2027 governorship election.

Mrs. Obetta was officially presented on Monday at the party’s state secretariat in Makurdi by the member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, Peter Agbese.

Byuan, a former Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Director, had emerged Labour Party’s governorship candidate through affirmation during the Labour Party’s primary election held on Saturday.

Speaking shortly after the presentation, Byuan expressed confidence in the party’s chances in the 2027 election, stating that the people of Benue had already signaled their desire for a change in leadership.

He called on residents of the state to support the Labour Party at the polls, promising to transform Benue from what he described as a predominantly civil service-driven economy into an industrialized and economically viable state.

The governorship candidate also criticized the current administration, arguing that despite significant federal allocations and interventions to the state under the administration of Bola Tinubu, the impact on the lives of ordinary citizens remains limited.

According to him, his administration would prioritize grassroots development and local economic growth by investing resources within the state to create employment opportunities for young people.

Byuan further pledged to improve access to education, saying his government would work towards ensuring that a majority of schools, about 60 percent, in the state provide free education to ease the financial burden on parents who usually would have to sell goats and yams to pay school fees.

He explained that the decision to pick Obetta as his running mate followed extensive consultations within the party, adding that the choice was aimed at promoting inclusion and giving women a stronger voice in governance.

“We have chosen a woman who understands grassroots politics and the challenges facing ordinary people. This is part of our commitment to ensuring that women are adequately represented in government,” he said.

In her acceptance speech, Juliana Obetta described her nomination as a victory for women across Benue State, pledging to use the opportunity to advocate for greater female participation in politics and governance.

The former council chairman, who made history as the first woman elected chairman of Okpokwu Local Government Area between 2012 and 2014, said women remain a critical voting bloc and deserve greater recognition in leadership positions.

She lamented a situation where women actively participate in elections but are often sidelined after governments are formed, describing her emergence as a significant step towards correcting that imbalance.

“This nomination is for the women of Benue State. Women constitute a substantial percentage of the voting population, yet they are often excluded from key decision-making positions after elections,” she said.

Obetta pledged to work closely with the wife of the governorship candidate and other stakeholders to promote policies that would advance women’s interests and ensure the realization of the 35 percent affirmative action target for women in governance.

Also speaking, the Benue State Chairman of the Labour Party, William Okefe, commended the party’s national leadership under Nenadi Usman for supporting the emergence of the party’s candidates.

Okefe expressed optimism that the Byuan-Obetta ticket would provide the leadership needed to reposition Benue State and pledged the commitment of party members to work towards securing victory in the 2027 governorship election.

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Activist Aisha Yesufu has accused the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) of subverting the process for selecting the party’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senatorial candidate, saying she could not compromise her values in a process she described as unjust.

Yesufu made the allegation in a statement issued on Friday night, hours after announcing that the party would not be conducting primaries for the FCT Senate seat, effectively ending her bid for the ticket.

The activist had declared her intention to contest the race on May 6 after joining the NDC from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), saying her decision was inspired by the leadership experience she gained in her former party.

Her declaration came amid growing speculation that the party had already resolved to hand the FCT Senate ticket to another aspirant, Amanda Pam, who had been a member of the party before Yesufu joined.

Addressing supporters earlier on Friday, Yesufu urged them to remain calm and focus on the broader political objective ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a subsequent statement, however, she alleged that the process leading to the emergence of the party’s candidate was marred by injustice and violations of electoral guidelines.

“I understood what I was getting into. I knew that the quality of our politics has not yet risen to the occasion, that values-based candidates do not easily emerge by merit in a system built to resist them,” she said.

“But I made a decision going in: I would not compromise my values. I would stand for what is right. I did not leave advocacy to go into politics. I took advocacy into politics.”

Yesufu said she built her campaign on grassroots credibility and argued that the strength of her “SAY-Nation” movement altered the course of the party’s decision-making process.

According to her, the team became so formidable that the selection process “had to be taken out of the open and resolved through a clandestine affirmation behind closed doors.”

She further alleged that “what was billed as a primary was, in truth, a predetermined outcome dressed in procedural formalities”.

The activist claimed that the FCT senate primary process was repeatedly delayed, with venues changed at the last minute and party guidelines ignored.

“The delegate-based process was introduced to be conducted at a central location instead of direct primaries at Local Government headquarters,” she claimed.

“When the moment came, the contest was not decided by delegates in the open; it was affirmed in a closed room, away from the people whose voices it was supposed to reflect.”

She added that while the party may present the exercise as transparent, the events surrounding the process did not reflect fairness.

“The party may go on to release statements about the free and fair nature of the primary, but the facts that transpired, when weighed against conscience and the guidelines of the Electoral Act, do not reflect justice and fairness,” she said.

Explaining why she did not immediately challenge the outcome, Yesufu said she preferred to learn from the experience rather than become entangled in a lengthy grievance process.

“I ran to win. But when the process was subverted, I made a choice: I would not exhaust myself in a grievance process designed to wear people down. I chose instead to extract every lesson this experience had to offer,” she said.

“I now understand the architecture of the system in ways no textbook, no punditry, no amount of outside observation could ever teach.

“That knowledge is worth more than any petition I could have filed. I leave this process with something far more valuable than a ticket; I leave with clarity.”

Yesufu stressed that her account was limited to her experience in the FCT Senate contest and should not be interpreted as a reflection of events in other states.

Despite her criticisms, she maintained confidence in the party’s broader political role ahead of the 2027 elections.

“Despite its shortcomings, the NDC remains the only party that has given the best presidential candidate in the 2027 electoral cycle a platform to run,” she said.

The NDC had not issued an official response to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.

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Notable Nollywood actress and film producer, Esther Okereke, has emerged as the presidential candidate of the National Rescue Movement (NRM) ahead of the 2027 general election.

Okereke secured the party’s ticket on Friday after defeating former Labour Party presidential aspirant, Joseph Faduri, and UK-based businessman, Ademola Onigbokun, at the NRM presidential primary held in Abuja.

Her emergence places her among the few women to secure the presidential ticket of a political party in Nigeria’s democratic history, as political parties begin early preparations for the 2027 election cycle.

Okereke is now expected to join other opposition figures seeking to challenge President Bola Tinubu in what is shaping up to be a highly competitive presidential contest.

Presenting Okereke to delegates as the party’s flag bearer, the National Chairman of the NRM, Chinedu Obi, said the party was determined to offer Nigerians a leadership that could address the country’s economic and security challenges.

Obi said the state of the nation required urgent and purposeful leadership, adding that the party’s mission was anchored on what he described as a national rescue agenda.

He said, “For years, global reports repeatedly described Nigeria as the poverty capital of the world, a title no nation should wear with comfort and no leadership should accept with resignation.”

The NRM chairman also spoke about the plight of Nigerians affected by insecurity across the country, including those kidnapped, displaced or forced to live in fear because of violence.

He said, “We remember our fellow citizens presently held captive in kidnappers’ dens, uncertain of what tomorrow may bring. We remember families displaced by terrorism, banditry, insurgency and communal conflicts, many of whom remain in Internally Displaced Persons camps across our country.”

Obi said the primary was more than a regular political gathering, describing it as a step towards offering Nigerians a new leadership direction.

According to him, the NRM wants to prove that the country can still work if the right leadership is put in place.

He added, “Today, as we elect the presidential flag bearer of our party for the 2027 election, it is not just one of those gatherings of politicians. It is a march towards providing visionary and proactive leadership for a nation in dire need of rescue and proving that Nigeria can work again.”

The party chairman said the NRM would continue to focus on issues affecting ordinary Nigerians, including poverty, insecurity, unemployment and the high cost of living.

In her acceptance speech, Okereke described her nomination as a call to national service and not a platform for personal ambition.

She said, “I accept this nomination not for personal glory but as a sacred assignment. I accept it as a call to service because of my belief that Nigeria shall rise and work again.”

The actress and filmmaker said her decision to accept the ticket was driven by her concern about the hardship faced by many Nigerians.

She painted a grim picture of the country’s socio-economic situation, citing poverty, unemployment, insecurity, failing businesses and worsening living conditions.

Okereke said, “Our nation is bleeding. Millions of our people are trapped in pain, poverty, fear and uncertainty.”

She added, “Families sleep in darkness in a nation overflowing with energy resources. Graduates roam the streets without jobs. Businesses collapse under the weight of economic hardship.”

Okereke said Nigeria was facing what she called “systemic failure,” but insisted that the country still had the capacity to recover if citizens embraced hope and responsible leadership.

She maintained that the suffering in the country should not be treated as permanent, saying there was still room for restoration and a better future.

According to her, “Beyond the suffering, there is restoration, hope and a greater Nigerian future waiting to emerge.”