2027 · GubernatorialAPC
Hyacinth Alia & Ode Samuel
- Hyacinth Alia’s role
- Candidate
- Race
- Benue
- Campaign status
- Active campaign record
No reviewed manifesto or campaign document with a source link is available here yet.
Current office
Hyacinth Alia
Governor of Benue State
This term: 29 May 2023–present
THE PERSON- State
- Benue
- Country
- Nigeria
Party recorded for this termAll Progressives CongressAPCHow to reach
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Public life, in context
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Hyacinth Iormem Alia (born 15 May 1966) is the Governor of Benue State, in office since 29 May 2023, and the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the election of 6 February 2027 (INEC final list, 10 October 2026), with Deputy Governor Samuel Ode again as running mate. He won the APC direct primary of 21 May 2026 with 367,786 votes against 3,247 for Terwase Orbunde and 2,923 for Jeffrey Kuraun; the two losing…
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Hyacinth Iormem Alia (born 15 May 1966) is the Governor of Benue State, in office since 29 May 2023, and the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate for the election of 6 February 2027 (INEC final list, 10 October 2026), with Deputy Governor Samuel Ode again as running mate. He won the APC direct primary of 21 May 2026 with 367,786 votes against 3,247 for Terwase Orbunde and 2,923 for Jeffrey Kuraun; the two losing aspirants rejected the outcome. He is a Catholic priest, ordained on 7 July 1990 by Bishop Athanasius Usuh in Makurdi. He studied at St. James Minor Seminary, Makurdi (from 1983) and St. Augustine's Major Seminary, Jos (diploma in religious studies 1987, BA in sacred theology 1990), then took a master's in religious education at Fordham University (1999) and a master's (2004) and doctorate (2005) in biomedical ethics at Duquesne University. In the United States he was director of pastoral services at a Florida health-care chaplaincy and a hospital chaplain, and on his return worked in Gboko, Makurdi and several Benue parishes. INEC lists his highest qualification as "Doctor of Healthcare Ethics". He bought the APC governorship forms in early May 2022 and, on or before 21 May 2022, the Catholic Diocese of Gboko suspended him from public ministry. He won the APC primary of 27 May 2022; rival suits by Michael Aondoakaa, the Labour Party, Barnabas Gemade and Terhemba Shija followed, and after the Court of Appeal voided the poll in 11 of 23 LGAs a rescheduled primary on 3 February 2023 gave him 410,682 votes to Sam Ode's 22,319. The Supreme Court dismissed the last appeal on 16 February 2023. On 18 March 2023 he won the general election with 473,933 votes to Titus Uba's (PDP) 223,913 and was sworn in on 29 May 2023; the PDP petition, which included an allegation against his deputy about a certificate, was dismissed by the tribunal (23 September 2023), the Court of Appeal (20 November 2023) and the Supreme Court (8 January 2024). In office he has been in a prolonged struggle for control of the Benue APC with Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume. A N1 billion defamation suit filed against him and two aides by Representative Terseer Ugbor in 2024 was withdrawn by the claimant in November 2025. He has received newspaper and summit awards, including Leadership's Governor of the Year (December 2023).
01 → 02 → 03
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A life in the public record.
16 linked entries · 38 distinct source links
Review dates are separate from event dates.
16 entries · Whole record
1966
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEarly lifeProfile record
Born
Hyacinth Alia was born on 15 May 1966.
1983
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
St. James Minor Seminary, Makurdi
Minor seminary formation (entered 1983)
- Location
- Makurdi, Benue State
- Institution
- Secondary
Whether the qualification was completed is not recorded.
1990
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Catholic Priest
Catholic Church
- Industry
- Religious ministry
- Employment
- Employee
Before entering politics, Alia was a Catholic priest of the Makurdi Diocese, ordained on 7 July 1990 by Bishop Athanasius Atule Usuh. His priestly career included administrative and pastoral posts in the United States - Director of Pastoral Services at Catholic Health Services, Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, and chaplain at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, St. Joseph…
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Before entering politics, Alia was a Catholic priest of the Makurdi Diocese, ordained on 7 July 1990 by Bishop Athanasius Atule Usuh. His priestly career included administrative and pastoral posts in the United States - Director of Pastoral Services at Catholic Health Services, Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, and chaplain at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, St. Joseph Mercy Health System (Ann Arbor) and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center (Queens, New York) - and, after returning to Nigeria, pastoral roles in Benue State including parochial vicar at St. John's Parish, Gboko, assistant cathedral administrator at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral, Makurdi, and parish priest/priest-in-charge at St. Jude's Parish, Koti-Yough, St. Thomas Mission and Christ the King Parish, Adi Etilo. On 21 May 2022 the Catholic Diocese of Gboko suspended him from public ministry over his governorship bid (Daily Post, 21 May 2022); no later lifting of the suspension was found.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
St. Augustine's Major Seminary, Jos
Diploma in Religious Studies; Bachelor of Arts in Sacred Theology · Religious Studies; Sacred Theology
- Location
- Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
1999
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
Fordham University
MA Religious Education (Psychology and Counseling) · Religious Education (Psychology and Counseling)
- Location
- Bronx, New York, USA
- Institution
- Masters
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
2004
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
Duquesne University
MA Biomedical Ethics · Biomedical Ethics
- Location
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Institution
- Masters
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
2005
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
Duquesne University
PhD Biomedical Ethics · Biomedical Ethics
- Location
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Institution
- Phd
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
2022
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDParty primaryReviewed record
2023 Governorship primary
All Progressives Congress · Benue
- Primary result
- Won
- What this establishes
- A party-stage result, not election to public office
- Votes
- 410,682
- Recorded winner
- Hyacinth Alia
APC Benue governorship primary (direct): Friday 27 May 2022 (Premium Times also prints 26 May; petitioners later said it ran 27-28 May). Declared winner on 28 May over Barnabas Gemade and Michael Aondoakaa; a re-run on 9 June 2022 is mentioned in court filings and Premium Times. After the Court of Appeal, Makurdi (23 Jan 2023, appeal by Terhemba Shija) voided the poll in 11 of…
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APC Benue governorship primary (direct): Friday 27 May 2022 (Premium Times also prints 26 May; petitioners later said it ran 27-28 May). Declared winner on 28 May over Barnabas Gemade and Michael Aondoakaa; a re-run on 9 June 2022 is mentioned in court filings and Premium Times. After the Court of Appeal, Makurdi (23 Jan 2023, appeal by Terhemba Shija) voided the poll in 11 of 23 LGAs, a rescheduled poll was held on Friday 3 Feb 2023: Alia 219,002 in the 11 LGAs; with the 12 unchallenged LGAs the committee chairman, Senator Basheer Lado, declared Alia 410,682 votes; Sam Ode 22,319 (second); Steven Lawani 21,172; Mathias Ibuan 14,593; Gemade 5,125; Aondoakaa 3,815. The state party then affirmed him at a special congress. Supreme Court dismissed Shija's appeal as statute-barred on 16 Feb 2023. Press (Tribune, TheCable) calls the Feb 2023 win his third primary victory; the first-round vote count was not found (TheCable's "over 7,000 votes" for 28 May 2022 looks partial).
2023
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDHonours & recognitionReviewed record
Governor of the Year (Leadership Newspaper)
Announced in December 2023 by the governor's media office; the awarding body's own reporting was not seen.
- Awarded by
- Leadership Newspaper
- Category
- Media / public service
An award records recognition; it is not an independent measure of performance.
Election participationReviewed record
2023 Governorship election
All Progressives Congress · Benue
- Result
- Won
- Votes
- 473,933
- Vote share
- 62.61%
- Recorded winner
- Hyacinth Alia
APC candidate with running mate Samuel Ode. Poll Saturday 18 March 2023 (Kwande LGA moved to 21 March); declared winner on Monday 20 March 2023 by the state returning officer, Faruk Kuta (vice-chancellor, FUT Minna): Alia 473,933; Titus Uba (PDP) 223,913; Herman Hembe (LP) 41,881; valid votes 756,903 (percentage computed from them). Sworn in 29 May 2023. Petitions dismissed:…
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APC candidate with running mate Samuel Ode. Poll Saturday 18 March 2023 (Kwande LGA moved to 21 March); declared winner on Monday 20 March 2023 by the state returning officer, Faruk Kuta (vice-chancellor, FUT Minna): Alia 473,933; Titus Uba (PDP) 223,913; Herman Hembe (LP) 41,881; valid votes 756,903 (percentage computed from them). Sworn in 29 May 2023. Petitions dismissed: tribunal 23 Sep 2023, Court of Appeal 20 Nov 2023, Supreme Court 8 Jan 2024.
ElectedProfile record
Governor
Benue
- Status
- Current term
- Party on this record
- APC
- Term
- Benue Governorship Cycle 2023-2027
2024
IN THE PUBLIC RECORD Electoral caseDismissed
The record
Governorship election challenge
Read the full case title
2023 Benue State governorship election petition — PDP candidate Titus Uba's challenge to Hyacinth Alia's election, dismissed by the Supreme Court on 8 January 2024
- Role in this matter
- Role not specified
- Record type
- Record type not specified
- Court / authority
- Supreme Court of Nigeria (on appeal from the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, and the Benue State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Makurdi)
- Court file
- SC/CV/1162/2023; SC/CV/1164/2023
Being named in a court record does not by itself establish wrongdoing. A claimant, respondent and legal representative have different roles.
Response on record
No separate response is linked. Read the court outcome and the original sources for the full account.
Last documented outcome
Dismissed
Titus Uba, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 18 March 2023 Benue State governorship election, petitioned against the victory of Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC), whom INEC declared winner with 473,933 votes against Uba's 223,913 votes, raising grounds of non-qualification, Alia's nomination by the APC and an alleged forged certificate/false information on INEC Form EC9 against the deputy governor, Samuel Ode. On 23 September 2023, the Benue State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting…
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Titus Uba, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 18 March 2023 Benue State governorship election, petitioned against the victory of Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC), whom INEC declared winner with 473,933 votes against Uba's 223,913 votes, raising grounds of non-qualification, Alia's nomination by the APC and an alleged forged certificate/false information on INEC Form EC9 against the deputy governor, Samuel Ode. On 23 September 2023, the Benue State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Makurdi, dismissed the petition, with the chairman of the three-member panel, Justice Ibrahim Karaye, holding that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction because the matters raised were pre-election issues under section 285 of the Electoral Act. On 20 November 2023, the Court of Appeal, Abuja, in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, dismissed Uba's appeal, holding that he failed to prove the forgery allegation against Ode beyond a reasonable doubt and that the non-qualification issues were pre-election matters, and upheld the tribunal's judgment. On 8 January 2024, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice John Inyang Okoro dismissed the PDP's appeals (SC/CV/1162/2023 and SC/CV/1164/2023), holding that the matters did not qualify as post-election matters; PDP counsel Sebastine Hon (SAN) then applied to withdraw the appeal, and Justice Okoro ruled: 'This appeal having been withdrawn is hereby dismissed,' thereby finally affirming Hyacinth Alia as the duly elected Governor of Benue State.
Dated entries in this matter 1 entry
- Outcome recorded · Dismissed
Titus Uba, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 18 March 2023 Benue State governorship election, petitioned against the victory of Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC), whom INEC declared winner with 473,933 votes against Uba's 223,913 votes, raising grounds of non-qualification, Alia's nomination by the APC and an alleged forged certificate/false information on INEC Form EC9 against the deputy governor, Samuel Ode. On 23 September 2023, the…
Read the full account
Titus Uba, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 18 March 2023 Benue State governorship election, petitioned against the victory of Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC), whom INEC declared winner with 473,933 votes against Uba's 223,913 votes, raising grounds of non-qualification, Alia's nomination by the APC and an alleged forged certificate/false information on INEC Form EC9 against the deputy governor, Samuel Ode. On 23 September 2023, the Benue State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Makurdi, dismissed the petition, with the chairman of the three-member panel, Justice Ibrahim Karaye, holding that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction because the matters raised were pre-election issues under section 285 of the Electoral Act. On 20 November 2023, the Court of Appeal, Abuja, in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Onyekachi Otisi, dismissed Uba's appeal, holding that he failed to prove the forgery allegation against Ode beyond a reasonable doubt and that the non-qualification issues were pre-election matters, and upheld the tribunal's judgment. On 8 January 2024, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice John Inyang Okoro dismissed the PDP's appeals (SC/CV/1162/2023 and SC/CV/1164/2023), holding that the matters did not qualify as post-election matters; PDP counsel Sebastine Hon (SAN) then applied to withdraw the appeal, and Justice Okoro ruled: 'This appeal having been withdrawn is hereby dismissed,' thereby finally affirming Hyacinth Alia as the duly elected Governor of Benue State.
2025
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDHonours & recognitionReviewed record
African Eagle Award - Best Governor, Socio-Economic Development Initiative 2025
Reported 30 October 2025 from the organiser's press statement; collected on his behalf by Deputy Governor Samuel Ode.
- Awarded by
- Accolade Dynamics Limited (Accolade Africa Growth Summit and Awards)
- Category
- Governance
An award records recognition; it is not an independent measure of performance.
2026
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDParty primaryReviewed record
2027 Governorship primary
All Progressives Congress · Benue
- Primary result
- Won
- What this establishes
- A party-stage result, not election to public office
- Votes
- 367,786
- Recorded winner
- Hyacinth Alia
INEC final list of candidates (Governorship, Benue State), published 2026-10-10 — SN 3; INEC name: ALIA HYACINTH IORMEM; age 60; male; qualification (as declared to INEC): FIRST SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATE GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION DOCTOR OF HEALTHCARE ETHICS; running mate: Ode Samuel · APC primary (direct): Thursday 21 May 2026, results announced Friday 22 May by the…
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INEC final list of candidates (Governorship, Benue State), published 2026-10-10 — SN 3; INEC name: ALIA HYACINTH IORMEM; age 60; male; qualification (as declared to INEC): FIRST SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATE GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION DOCTOR OF HEALTHCARE ETHICS; running mate: Ode Samuel · APC primary (direct): Thursday 21 May 2026, results announced Friday 22 May by the committee chairman, Mohammed Kabiru Isa: Alia 367,786; Terwase Orbunde 3,247; Jeffrey Kuraun 2,923. Orbunde and Kuraun rejected the outcome, alleging manipulation and voter exclusion (Blueprint, 22 May 2026). Running mate: Deputy Governor Samuel Ode, whom Alia said on 1 Sep 2025 would remain on the ticket. Context: a prolonged leadership contest with Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume inside the Benue APC. · INEC list check (2026-10-20): the original parser misattributed qualification between this ticket's candidate and running mate; the correct reading of this person's cell on the rendered PDF is: FIRST SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATE GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION DOCTOR OF HEALTHCARE ETHICS.
Dates not recorded
KEPT OUTSIDE THE DATED CHRONOLOGYParty membershipReviewed record
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Hyacinth Alia is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC): he contested and won the 18 March 2023 Benue State governorship election as the APC candidate, was sworn in as Governor on 29 May 2023, and the Benue State Government describes him as the Governor and leader of the APC in Benue State.
An end date is not recorded for this membership.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
St. Francis Primary School, Agidi, Mbatiav
First School Leaving Certificate
- Location
- Gboko LGA, Benue State
- Institution
- Primary
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
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The Benue State purse
As Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia presides over Benue State's public finances.
Benue State's approved budget for 2026 is ₦695,011,237,687 (about ₦695.0B).
Benue State budget 2026Benue State received ₦127,468,018,391 (about ₦127.5B) in FAAC federal allocations between January and July 2026.
Benue State FAAC allocations 2026Help improve the record
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