A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Segun Showunmi, on Friday urged Benue State residents to unite, mobilise and deliver at least 2.5 million votes for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Showunmi said in Makurdi that there was a need for unity, peaceful political engagement and sustained support for the federal government’s reform agenda.

The deputy spokesperson, President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council, said Benue State, with over three million registered voters, could strengthen its political influence at the national level by delivering a substantial number of votes to Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

“Benue has 3,050,000 registered voters. Can you imagine if you made a massive stake for that presidency by delivering as much as 2.5 million or even three million votes?” he said.

According to him, the North-Central geopolitical zone must learn to use its voting strength strategically to negotiate for greater political representation and influence.

Mr Showunmi, who is also the National Convener of the Alternative Movement, said the region’s inability to present a united front had weakened its capacity to influence national political decisions.

He urged residents to put aside political, ethnic and other differences, particularly as Benue continued to attract international attention over insecurity and the humanitarian situation.

“The most important thing that Benue needs now is to be careful not to be the one instigating itself against itself.

“When people are contending with the issues that we are contending with, the last thing we need is brother fighting brother or brother quarrelling with brother,” he said.

Mr Showunmi said his team’s engagements with residents, traders, political stakeholders and members of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) indicated growing appreciation of the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration.

He said some residents had expressed satisfaction with ongoing road construction, improvements in salary payments, the revival of local industries and interventions in transportation.

“The last three and a half years were to restructure the foundation of the country,” he stated.

Mr Showunmi also urged the media to provide responsible coverage of government policies and avoid promoting misinformation and narratives that could undermine public confidence.

“I want to plead with you, those of you that are members of the media, do not allow yourself to run with the dangerous narrative of those who are just refusing to see growth. Growth has taken place, and growth should be sustained,” he said.

Mr Showunmi further said the federal government was strengthening the country’s security architecture through increased military capacity, improved intelligence sharing and efforts to establish state police.

He said state police would enable states to recruit and train personnel to gather intelligence and respond more quickly to security threats within their jurisdictions.

The campaign spokesperson, however, stressed that addressing insecurity required sustained intelligence gathering, effective coordination among security agencies and cooperation among communities.

He said Benue State residents should take advantage of the international attention attracted by the state’s security challenges to promote unity and encourage practical solutions.

Mr Showunmi expressed optimism that greater unity and strategic voting in 2027 would strengthen Benue State’s voice in national affairs.

(NAN)