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Benue Strategic Partnership Tv, Delhi (2026)

26/09/2026

THOMAS TYOLUMUN UNONGO AND THE BIBLICAL DAVID ANALOGY: PREPARATION, EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE

By Akende Edmond Aondona

The biblical story of King David provides a compelling metaphor for understanding leadership that emerges through preparation, experience, service and circumstances. David’s journey to kingship did not begin with a throne. Long before he became king, he had already passed through different stages of responsibility that prepared him for greater service.

David began as a shepherd, where he learnt courage, discipline, patience and responsibility. His experience protecting his father’s flock prepared him to confront greater challenges.

He later served in the court of King Saul and acquired further experience in leadership and warfare. Through these different stages, David developed practical qualities that would later become important in his leadership of Israel.

His journey was also marked by adversity. He experinced uncertainty, opposition, conflict and periods of displacement. Yet these experiences became part of his preparation. When circumstances eventually opened the way for him to become king, David did not approach leadership as an inexperienced man. He had already served, learnt and been tested in different responsibilities.

It is against this background that the story of Thomas Tyolumun Unongo can be viewed through the David metaphor. Unongo's public journey has been shaped by political engagement, public service and experience in the affairs of his people. Today, Thomas Tyolumun Unongo is aspiring to serve the people of Benue North-East Senatorial District as Senator, seeking the opportunity to bring his experience and understanding of public affairs to another level of service.

The comparison with David should, however, be understood carefully. Unongo is not being equated with David, and modern democratic politics cannot be equated with biblical kingship. David operated within the political and religious circumstances of ancient Israel, while a Nigerian Senator is elected through a constitutional democratic process.

The meaningful connection lies in preparation before responsibility. David's earlier experiences became part of the foundation upon which he eventually exercised national leadership. In a similar metaphorical sense, Unongo's years of public engagement and experience can be presented as preparation for the responsibility he now seeks in representing Benue North-East in the Senate.

The message can therefore be expressed simply: “David did not begin with a crown; he began with service. He served, learnt, endured and gained experience before circumstances opened the way to the throne. In the same spirit, Unongo’s journey reflects years of public engagement and experience as he now aspires to serve Benue North-East Senatorial District in the Senate.”

The lesson of David's story is that leadership is often a journey before it becomes a position. Experience gained through previous responsibilities can provide a foundation for undertaking new responsibilities when the opportunity arises.

For Thomas Tyolumun Unongo, his aspiration to represent Benue North-East Senatorial District can therefore be presented as another chapter in a continuing journey of public service. His experience, knowledge and understanding of public affairs are part of the qualities that he brings before the electorate.

Ultimately, however, the David analogy is a metaphor for preparation meeting opportunity, not a prediction of electoral success. In a democracy, the decision belongs to the electorate. If the people of Benue North-East choose to entrust Unongo with their mandate, his accumulated experience would then become part of the foundation upon which he could undertake that senatorial responsibility.

David’s story reminds us that the crown came after the preparation. Unongo’s present aspiration is not for a crown, but for a mandate: the opportunity to use his experience and serve Benue North-East in the Senate.

20/09/2026

T T Unongo for Senate 2027

08/09/2026

WHEN POWER BLOCKS THE ROAD: THE COST OF SILENCING PETER OBI IN YELWATA, BENUE

By Edmond Aondona Akende

There is something profoundly unsettling about a democracy in which political disagreement spills onto the streets and alleged thugs become gatekeepers of public access.

The reported attempt to prevent presidential aspirant Peter Obi from accessing Yelwata in Benue State raises questions that extend far beyond one politician or a single political gathering. At the heart of the matter lies a fundamental democratic principle: who has the authority to determine where a citizen may go, whom he may address and what citizens may hear?

If political actors can obstruct a presidential aspirant through intimidation rather than persuasion, Nigeria risks replacing the ballot box with the barricade.

The first casualty is democratic credibility. Elections derive their legitimacy not merely from the act of voting but from the freedoms that precede it. The freedom to campaign, assemble, speak and engage citizens without coercion. Preventing a political candidate from reaching a community potentially deprives voters of the opportunity to hear an alternative political message and make an informed judgement.

The second danger is the normalization of political thuggery. Nigeria has witnessed, with painful consequences, the destructive use of youths as instruments of political intimidation.

Once violence becomes an accepted tool of political management, it rarely remains confined to one candidate, one party or one election. Today’s political enforcers can become tomorrow’s public menace.

There is also a profound social and economic cost. Communities already grappling with insecurity, displacement and poverty cannot afford political confrontations that deepen fear, division and mistrust. Yelwata and neighbouring communities need security, livelihoods, infrastructure and credible leadership not intimidating spectacles that further erode public confidence.

Perhaps most troubling is the message such incidents can send to young Nigerians. Democracy should teach that disagreements are resolved through ideas, dialogue, votes and institutions. When intimidation appears to determine who may enter a community, the lesson becomes dangerously distorted: that power belongs to whoever can command the streets.

That is a perilous precedent.
Political competition should be a contest of vision against vision, record against record and policy against policy. If Peter Obi is permitted to engage a community, citizens can scrutinise his ideas. If his arguments are unconvincing, voters can reject them. If they resonate with the electorate, voters can embrace them. That is the essence of democracy.

Nigeria does not strengthen its democracy by building walls around voters. It strengthens it by opening every lawful avenue through which citizens can listen, question, challenge and decide for themselves.

The road to Yelwata should therefore represent more than a physical passage. It should symbolize Nigeria’s democratic journey: a journey where no legitimate political voice is blocked by intimidation, no citizen is silenced by fear, and no political disagreement is settled outside the law.

Anything less diminishes not Peter Obi alone, but the democratic republic itself.

03/09/2026

2027: APC YOUTH COUNCIL ADOPTS AONDOAKAA AS SOLE CANDIDATE
By James Ian

The Benue State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Council has declared its support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, adopting him as its sole candidate ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.

The declaration was made when members of the State Executive Council of the group, led by its Chairman, Comrade Harris Washima, paid a courtesy visit to Chief Aondoakaa. The delegation also included the Council’s Patron, Engr. Peter Ashiekaa.

Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Comrade Ada Ochojila, Hon. Mrs. Dooshima Tyokyaa, and Comrade Usha Henry said their decision to support Aondoakaa was driven by what they described as growing dissatisfaction with the performance of the current administration in Benue State. They maintained that many young people across the state have lost confidence in the government and were increasingly seeking an alternative leadership capable of addressing the challenges confronting the state.

The group described Chief Aondoakaa as an experienced leader with the capacity to unite the people of Benue, restore confidence in government, and provide purposeful leadership that places the interests of the people above political considerations.

Responding, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, expressed appreciation to the APC Youth Council for the confidence reposed in him and welcomed its decision to identify with his political project.

The former Attorney General of the Federation assured the youths of his readiness to work with them and other stakeholders across political divides, stressing that the task ahead was bigger than individual political interests.

He urged the delegation to take the message of his campaign to the grassroots, emphasizing that the 2027 election should not be viewed merely through the lens of party affiliation.

According to him, “2027 is not about party

20/08/2026

ORTOM STOOD IN THE GAP: WILL ALIA HOLD THE LINE? BENUE LAND IS NOT NEGOTIABLE

As a concerned member of the Benue community, I believe issues concerning our land, security and collective future must be approached with facts, courage and responsibility not partisan emotion or political rivalry.

Former Governor Samuel Ortom deserves recognition for a position many once criticized but which subsequent developments have given renewed significance. When the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari introduced proposals associated with RUGA, cattle colonies and other livestock-development arrangements, Chief Ortom took a firm stand against any framework he believed could compromise Benue’s ancestral lands, agricultural livelihoods and community security.

His position was clear: Benue can support modern livestock production without surrendering the land and legitimate interests of its farming communities.

His administration subsequently reinforced that position through the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law. Whatever criticisms may be directed at his administration, his insistence that livestock development must not come at the expense of indigenous communities remains an important part of Benue’s history.

Governor Hyacinth Alia now carries the responsibility of protecting those same fundamental interests. His support for ending open grazing and promoting ranching is worthy of recognition, particularly where such policies genuinely advance peace, productivity and coexistence.

However, vigilance remains necessary.
Whenever a livestock programme, ranching initiative, partnership or government agreement involves land, citizens have a legitimate right to ask: Whose land is involved? Who owns it? Who controls it? Who will occupy it? What laws govern the arrangement? What safeguards protect indigenous communities?
These questions should not be interpreted as hostility towards pastoralists or opposition to livestock development. Properly regulated ranching can reduce farmer-herder conflicts and create economic opportunities for both farmers and pastoralists.

Our position must therefore remain principled: No policy, regardless of its name or political packaging, should become a pathway to dispossession, permanent occupation or erosion of legitimate indigenous land rights.
This is not Ortom versus Alia. It is about Benue.

Political leaders come and go. Governments change. But the land remains.

Benue land is not negotiable.

Comr. Akende Edmond Aondona

Public Affairs Analyst

Akeeior–Utange, Ushongo LGA

15/08/2026

2027: A luminous harbinger of a new era, Hon. Moses Mkeenem FIMC, CMC, the Light Bearer of Kwande/Ushongo, arrived to witness Adikpo’s inaugural Igbo Executive Council ceremony.

His presence evoked uncommon statesmanship, unity, and forward motion. An unmistakable portent of transformative representation. As the political firmament gathers, his vision radiates audacity, sagacity, and purposeful service, heralding a consequential epoch of hope, progress, and people centred leadership for Kwande/Ushongo Constituents.

/Ushongo

12/08/2026

THE ARK IS BIGGER THAN THE OARS: THE EMINENT DANGER CONFRONTING ALIA’S APC IN 2027

The story of Noah and his three sons - Shem, Ham and Japheth contains a timeless lesson about the fragility of unity after a shared ordeal. They endured the same deluge, occupied the same Ark and eventually emerged together into an altered world. Yet surviving the same catastrophe did not guarantee enduring harmony.

That imagery offers a striking political parallel to the unfolding situation within the Benue APC as 2027 draws closer.

The men and women who contributed to the emergence of Governor Hyacinth Alia did not come from unrelated political worlds. They travelled the same arduous political road, confronted formidable adversaries, endured bruising contests and made significant sacrifices before the APC eventually secured power in Benue. They boarded the same political Ark.

But the eminent danger confronting Governor Alia's APC may no longer lie principally outside the party. It may be festering within the vessel itself.

The increasingly palpable impression is that the captain has become preoccupied with determining who should hold the oars, whilst alienating some of the very passengers who once helped navigate the treacherous waters.
Governor Alia's political ascendancy was not a solitary accomplishment. It was fashioned through an intricate coalition of personalities, political structures, relationships and supporters.

Those who stood beside him when victory remained uncertain helped mobilize support, construct alliances and withstand formidable opposition.

Yet the political atmosphere has become increasingly acrimonious, with former allies finding themselves on opposing sides of consequential political disputes.

More troubling is the apparent erosion of the space for reconciliation. Some of Governor Alia's close political allies have already resorted to judicial processes in challenging decisions associated with the party's leadership. Once political disagreements migrate from private consultations and internal negotiations into formal litigation, the character of the conflict changes profoundly.
It becomes institutional.

It becomes public. And it becomes considerably more difficult to contain.

Litigation is, of course, a legitimate avenue for resolving political grievances within a democratic system. Nevertheless, its emergence within a governing party may also indicate that conventional channels of political accommodation have become exhausted, ineffective or distrusted.

The danger is considerable: political exclusion may metamorphose into factionalization; factionalization may harden into litigation; and litigation may ultimately crystallize into electoral fragmentation before 2027.

Governor Alia must therefore confront an uncomfortable political truth: before becoming captain, he was once a passenger.

He once needed alliances. He once depended upon political stakeholders. He once required the structures, relationships and commitment of people prepared to navigate difficult political waters alongside him.

Leadership should cultivate magnanimity, not political amnesia.

Meanwhile, ordinary Benue citizens remain preoccupied with insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment and the lack of transparency in governance. They did not entrust their mandate to political leaders for interminable factional quarrels or internecine warfare.

The APC therefore faces a consequential choice before 2027: continue along the path of confrontation and fragmentation, or summon the political sagacity required to repair its fractured relationships.

But if reconciliation has already been exhausted and political grievances have entered the institutional and judicial arena, Governor Alia's challenge has become considerably more formidable.

The Ark is bigger than the oars.

And if the captain continues fighting those who once helped steer the vessel, the greatest danger to Alia's APC in 2027 may not be the storm outside.

It may be that the passengers, having exhausted every avenue of persuasion, begin preparing their own lifeboats.

Comr Akende Edmond Aondona

Public Affairs/Political Analyst

Akeeior - Utange, Ushongo LGA.

04/08/2026

MKA2027

01/08/2026

From the heart of the communities to the future of Kwande/Ushongo.

Hon. Mkeenem Moses Mkeenem Moses, FIMC, CMC, and his First Lady are walking side by side with the people, listening, engaging, and strengthening the bond that defines true leadership.
Every visit fuels hope. Every handshake builds confidence. Every step brings the vision for 2027 closer.

Together, the journey continues.

/Ushongo2027

30/07/2026

MKEENEM'S ASCENDANCY GATHERS MOMENTUM AS KWANDE/USHONGO FIX EYES ON THE BALL

By Akende Edmond Aondona

The political firmament of Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency is experiencing a remarkable realignment as the aspiration of Hon. Moses Mkeenem continues to crystallize into a formidable movement, eliciting widespread enthusiasm across communities and stakeholder blocs.

With every engagement, Mkeenem's candidacy appears to be transcending conventional political calculations, evolving into a compelling proposition anchored on courage, competence, and visionary leadership. His growing acceptability is not merely a consequence of political mobilization but a reflection of an enduring rapport cultivated through years of meaningful interaction with the people.

Regarded by many as an astute, cerebral, and unpretentious leader, Hon. Mkeenem has distinguished himself as one whose convictions remain unwavering even in the face of political headwinds. His disposition to speak truth to power without sacrificing decorum has become one of the defining hallmarks of his public life. He exemplifies the rare fusion of audacity and humility—assertive in advocacy yet measured in conduct.

His supporters maintain that his legislative aspiration is predicated on the conviction that effective representation extends beyond rhetoric. They believe he possesses the dexterity to galvanize government attention, stimulate developmental interventions, and institutionalize enduring legacies capable of redefining the socio-economic trajectory of Kwande/Ushongo.

Perhaps one of his most profound political assets is the robustness of his grassroots architecture. His influence permeates the length and breadth of the constituency, sustained by authentic relationships with the ordinary people while simultaneously commanding the confidence of political elites, traditional institutions, party leaders, and critical stakeholders. This uncommon equilibrium has positioned him as a bridge-builder whose politics is defined more by consensus than confrontation.

Mkeenem's political philosophy is underpinned by inclusivity, consultation, and mutual respect. His accessibility has fostered a climate of trust, while his strategic engagement with diverse interests continues to consolidate his standing as a dependable rallying point for progressive politics.

Despite his youthful disposition, Hon. Moses Mkeenem is widely acknowledged by supporters as possessing exceptional political sagacity, remarkable emotional intelligence, and the resilience required to navigate the intricate dynamics of contemporary governance. His eloquence is complemented by restraint, his confidence by courtesy, and his ambition by an unwavering commitment to public service.

As the 2027 National Assembly elections draw closer, supporters believe the momentum surrounding his aspiration is assuming the character of an irresistible political renaissance. For them, Hon. Moses Mkeenem embodies not merely the promise of a new Kwande /Ushongo era but the prospect of transformative leadership, purposeful advocacy, and a legacy that could resonate far beyond the present political cycle.

Benue Strategic Partnership Tv

26/09/2026

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20/08/2026

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