It’s Kwande’s Turn To Produce Next Benue North East Senator, Says Unongo

A former special adviser to Benue State Governor on Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Hon. Fidelis Unongo, has told former Governor Gabriel Suswam and other Benue North East senatorial aspirants that the seat belongs to Kwande local government area in 2027.

Fidelis, the son of former minister of Power and Steel in the Second Republic, the late Paul Unongo, who hails from Kwande, argued that from 1999 till date, Sankera and Jechira intermediate areas had occupied the office except Kwande political bloc.

He maintained that the growing agitations for Kwande to produce the Zone A senator was rooted in the timeless principles of justice, equity, and fairness.

Unongo who recently resigned from Governor Alia’s cabinet said he would declare his intention to contest for the senatorial seat under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the party’s primaries.

Addressing a news conference in Makurdi, Unongo said Kwande would not be bullied, sidelined, or deceived again in 2027, adding the local government has competent and credible people to represent the senatorial district at the National Assembly.

He said, “I stand before you today with a deep sense of responsibility, gratitude, and conviction. I have watched with pride as the good people of Kwande, and indeed the entire Zone A, have risen in unity to advocate for what is just, what is fair, and what is long overdue.

“Your call that the Benue North East senatorial seat in 2027 should go to Kwande is not only legitimate, it is honourable.

“Zone A is made up of three great blocs: Jechira, Kwande and Sankera. Over the years, every other bloc has had the opportunity to occupy this distinguished seat except Kwande. Since the return of democracy in 1999, Kwande local government area has yet to produce a senator for our zone. This is not a complaint; it is a fact. And today, that fact calls for correction.

“What the people are asking for is not favour, it is fairness. It is not division, it is inclusion. It is not agitation for its own sake; it is a call for balance and justice,” he stated.

Unongo continued, “I commend the people of Kwande, the wider Zone A community, and our revered traditional institutions for lending their voices to this noble cause. Your advocacy reflects maturity, awareness, and a deep commitment to the unity and progress of our land.