Benue Labour Party Aspirant Distances Self from APC Governorship Primaries
- Labour Party governorship aspirant in Benue state, Dr Mathias Byuan, has rejected his inclusion in the APC governorship primaries list, saying he resigned from the party earlier in May
- Byuan said he formally communicated his withdrawal from the APC race through letters to party officials and the screening committees
- He confirmed that he is now contesting under the Labour Party ahead of its May 30 primaries while maintaining support for President Tinubu
Makurdi, Benue state - Dr Mathias Byuan, a philanthropist and the sole governorship aspirant of the Labour Party (LP) in Benue state, has distanced himself from the ongoing governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the inclusion of his name among cleared aspirants as “false, misleading and unauthorised.”
In a statement personally signed on Thursday, May 21, Byuan said he had formally resigned from the APC earlier this month and had withdrawn his governorship ambition under the ruling party before the release of the list of aspirants.
Source: UGC
The APC had earlier published the names of aspirants cleared to participate in its governorship primaries across Benue State’s 23 local government areas, with Byuan’s name appearing among the contenders.
Byuan said he neither participated in the APC screening exercise nor authorised the use of his name in connection with the primaries.
“I am no longer a member of the APC, and I am not an aspirant for the office of Governor of Benue state under the APC,” he said in the statement titled “Unauthorised Circulation of my Name as an APC Gubernatorial Aspirant for Benue state.”
I resigned from APC on May 7 - Byuan
According to him, he resigned his APC membership on May 7, 2026, through a letter addressed to his ward chairman and subsequently forwarded copies to the party’s national leadership.
Byuan stated that he also submitted a formal withdrawal letter to the APC screening committee alongside a notarised attestation confirming his voluntary withdrawal from the race.
He said copies of the documents, including proof of delivery and acknowledgement, were attached to the statement.
“For the avoidance of doubt, any list, publication, or circulation bearing my name as an aspirant cleared to contest for the APC governorship ticket is false, misleading, and unauthorised,” he said.
He urged party members, supporters, media organisations and the public to disregard any information linking him to the APC governorship primaries in the state.
Byuan declares Labour Party governorship ambition
The governorship hopeful said he is now contesting under the Labour Party and has already completed the party’s screening process ahead of its scheduled primaries on May 30, 2026.
However, despite leaving the APC, Byuan reiterated his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He called on Benue residents to support his governorship ambition as well as Labour Party candidates in the state during the 2027 elections.
Source: UGC
APC declares winner in Lagos governorship primary
In another report, the APC has declared Obafemi Hamzat as its governorship candidate for Lagos ahead of the 2027 general elections, following the direct primary of the party, which was held across the state.
Hamzat, who is currently serving as the deputy governor of the state, praised the conduct of the exercise, stating that the process was peaceful, transparent and a reflection of internal democracy within the ruling party.
Source: Legit.ng
