BENUE GOVERNORSHIP 2027: PDP MAY FINALLY HAVE ITS JOKER
By Dooshima Uza
In a tense game of rummy, the joker is hardly ever played too early. While others arrange their cards and reveal their intentions, the wise player holds the joker back, studies the table, and waits for the precise moment when that single card can complete the winning hand. It may not appear dramatic at first, but when finally unveiled, it can change the entire outcome of the game.
As the 2027 Benue State governorship election gradually comes into view, that is precisely how many supporters now see the Peoples Democratic Party’s possible path to recovery: the party may finally have its joker.
With preparations for the 2027 general elections steadily gathering momentum, political parties across the country are already recalibrating, strategising, and repositioning to either retain power or recover what they lost in 2023. From the Presidency to governorships and legislative seats, the political landscape is beginning to take shape.
In Benue State, the governorship race is already shaping up to be one of the fiercest political contests on the horizon, with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, set to face a determined PDP eager to reclaim power. Governor Hyacinth Alia is widely expected to seek re-election, but his return bid is unlikely to rest on any overwhelming public confidence in his performance. Instead, he may have to confront growing questions over governance, delivery, and whether his administration has truly met the expectations that brought it to power in 2023. Far from being a routine re-election campaign, 2027 could well become a referendum on disappointment, unmet hopes, and the desire for more competent and purposeful leadership in Benue State.
For the PDP, however, 2027 is more than just another election cycle. It is a test of whether the party has genuinely learnt from the costly political errors of 2023.
That defeat remains a painful reference point for many party faithful. In an election the PDP might have approached far more competitively, it fielded Rt. Hon. Titus Uba, then Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, despite the presence of other aspirants many considered more formidable, more credible, and better positioned to mount a serious challenge. The consequences of that decision are now firmly part of the party’s political history.
Significantly, there are clear indications that key stakeholders within the PDP recognise this. In February, the immediate past governor of Benue State and leader of the PDP in the state, Chief Samuel Ortom, publicly apologised to party stakeholders for insisting on Titus Uba as the party’s governorship candidate in 2023. By his own admission, that decision ran contrary to the preference earlier expressed by stakeholders during internal consultations. That public acknowledgement was more than an apology. It was an admission that political miscalculation can be costly and that the PDP cannot afford a repeat in 2027.
Now, with the next governorship contest approaching, interest in the PDP ticket has intensified considerably. The party reportedly has a crowded field of aspirants, including Engr. Peter Terwase Tortiv-Ato, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN), Prof. Sebastian Tar Hon (SAN), Dr. Tersoo Loko, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar, Dr. Ochaekiti Ogbenjuwa, Dr. Simon Ater, and Rt. Hon. Dominic Terkaa Ucha.
That level of interest is, in one sense, a sign of political vitality. It suggests that the PDP remains relevant and still commands enough confidence to attract serious contenders. Yet it also raises the most important question of all: who among these aspirants possesses the credibility, strategic appeal, electoral reach, and political temperament to lead the party into what will almost certainly be a high-stakes battle against an incumbent governor?
That is the question that must guide the PDP’s internal calculations.
The party may have many aspirants, but elections are not won by the size of a line-up. They are won by clarity of judgement. If the PDP is serious about returning to power in Benue State, it must move beyond sentiment, convenience, and internal patronage. It must identify the aspirant with the strongest capacity to unify the party, appeal across key voting blocs, and present a compelling alternative to the electorate.
That brings the zoning question into sharper focus.
If the existing understanding that Jechira should complete its eight-year governorship cycle remains operative, then a number of aspirants would effectively fall outside the most viable equation. On that basis, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa (SAN), Prof. Sebastian Tar Hon (SAN), Dr. Tersoo Loko, and Dr. Ochaekiti Ogbenjuwa may be considered disadvantaged by that zoning reality. What then remains is a narrowed field made up of Engr. Peter Terwase Tortiv-Ato, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar, Dr. Simon Ater, and Rt. Hon. Dominic Terkaa Ucha, all from the Jechira axis.
Even within that restricted field, however, not all contenders enter the race with the same strategic weight.
Engr. Peter Terwase Tortiv-Ato increasingly stands out as a particularly compelling option. His profile combines professional accomplishment, administrative experience, technocratic depth, and a level of international exposure that is rare in subnational politics. At a time when voters are becoming more concerned with competence, governance capacity, and practical leadership, such a profile could prove to be a significant electoral asset.
A chartered civil and structural engineer, Tortiv-Ato served for ten years in the Benue State Civil Service under the Ministry of Water Resources and Environment, rising to the position of Principal Civil Engineer. During that period, he contributed to erosion control interventions in parts of Makurdi and participated in township road development projects, among other technical responsibilities. That background matters. It reflects not only technical competence, but also familiarity with public sector systems and the development needs of the state.
Beyond the civil service, he has built a distinguished professional career with reputable organisations and currently serves as Technical Director at AtkinsRéalis, one of the world’s leading engineering and consulting firms. Attaining such a position in a globally respected organisation is not accidental. It speaks to competence, discipline, leadership capacity, and the ability to perform at a very high level in demanding environments.
In political terms, his appeal may extend beyond personal credentials alone.
With several aspirants reportedly coming from Vandeikya Local Government Area, which is also the same local government as the incumbent governor, the emergence of Tortiv-Ato, who is from Konshisha Local Government Area, could introduce an important balancing effect within the Jechira bloc. That distinction may help reduce internal frictions, broaden acceptability, and improve the PDP’s ability to manage competing interests more effectively. In a contest where political arithmetic may matter just as much as personal merit, that advantage should not be overlooked.
More importantly, Ato’s profile offers the PDP something it urgently needs: a fresh but credible face, a candidate with technocratic weight, administrative grounding, and a narrative of competence that could resonate with voters looking for seriousness and substance in governance.
Politics, much like rummy, rewards timing, positioning, and the ability to recognise the card that can change the game. For the PDP in Benue State, 2027 may present exactly such a moment. The party has no shortage of aspirants, but what it requires is not merely a candidate. It requires the right candidate, one capable of healing old fractures, inspiring confidence, and reconfiguring the political map in its favour.
That is why many supporters increasingly see Engr. Peter Terwase Tortiv-Ato as the PDP’s joker: the aspirant whose emergence could alter the calculations, strengthen the party’s electoral prospects, and give it a realistic chance of reclaiming power in 2027.
The lesson of 2023 is still fresh. The PDP ignored its strongest political instincts then and paid a heavy price. In 2027, it has another opportunity. It can repeat the mistake of sentiment over strategy, or it can make a wiser, stronger, and more deliberate choice.
If the party truly wants to return to power, this is not the time to gamble blindly. It is the time to play its joker.
From: https://opr.news/s2d5d0d61260426en_ng?link=1&client=news
