Fresh cracks have emerged within the Benue chapter of the All Progressives Congress,APC after two aspirants challenged the victory of Mrs. Blessing Onuh,daughter of former Senate President David Mark, in the party’s House of Representatives primary for Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency.
Lawrence Onoja Jnr, son of the late Major General Lawrence Onoja, alongside fellow aspirant Andrew Abu, on Tuesday submitted petitions at the APC secretariat in Makurdi, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the primary election held last Saturday.
The APC had declared Onuh, the incumbent lawmaker representing the constituency, winner of the exercise after polling 17,451 votes against her closest challengers.
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Speaking with journalists after filing the petition, Onoja alleged that electoral materials were hijacked by supporters loyal to Onuh and claimed the exercise violated the party’s zoning arrangement.
“The election that held on Saturday violated the zoning arrangements because we want the zoning to be respected,” he said.
He also accused party officials of relocating the exercise from designated ward centres to a hotel venue, a move he described as contrary to APC guidelines.
Andrew Abu, who backed the petition, further alleged that the votes credited to Onuh exceeded the number of registered party members across Otukpo and Ohimini local government areas.
“The votes allocated to Blessing Onuh were more than the total registered members in the constituency,” Abu alleged.
The aggrieved aspirants said they were optimistic that the party’s appeal panel would review their complaints and address what they termed “serious anomalies” capable of destabilising the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
The dispute has revived the long-running political rivalry between the families of the late Major General Lawrence Onoja and David Mark, both influential figures in Benue South politics.
David Mark had repeatedly defeated Lawrence Onoja in previous political contests, including the 2007 Peoples Democratic Party senatorial primary and the 2011 Benue South senatorial election after Onoja defected to the then Action Congress of Nigeria.
The latest controversy comes amid wider tensions within the Benue APC following the outcome of the House of Representatives primaries across the state.
Results announced by the APC National Assembly Election Committee showed that allies of Governor Hyacinth Alia dominated most of the contests, while several lawmakers and figures reportedly aligned with Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume suffered heavy defeats.
Among the notable winners were Mrs. Regina Akume, wife of the SGF, who secured victory in Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency, and Blessing Onuh in Otukpo/Ohimini.
Several incumbent lawmakers reportedly lost their return tickets during the exercise, underscoring the growing internal power struggle within the ruling party in Benue State.
Chairman of the APC National Assembly Election Committee in the state, Alhaji Sabiu Mahuta, had defended the conduct of the exercise, describing it as peaceful and transparent.
Mahuta also explained that the announcement of results was delayed until Sunday to avoid late-night movement by returning officers.
Political observers say the petitions and brewing grievances could test the unity of the APC in Benue ahead of the next electoral cycle, especially amid the growing rivalry between camps loyal to Governor Alia and the SGF.
