2027 · GubernatorialAPC
Hyacinth Alia & Ode Samuel
- Ode Samuel’s role
- Running mate
- Race
- Benue
- Campaign status
- Active campaign record
No reviewed manifesto or campaign document with a source link is available here yet.
Current office
Ode Samuel
Deputy 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
The record
over time.
Samuel Ode (born 7 November 1968) is the Deputy Governor of Benue State, in office since 29 May 2023, and the All Progressives Congress deputy governorship candidate, running mate to Governor Hyacinth Alia, for the election of 6 February 2027 (INEC final list, 10 October 2026). Alia said on 1 September 2025 that there was "no vacancy" for a deputy governor in 2027. A lawyer and administrator from Otukpo Local Government Area,…
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Samuel Ode (born 7 November 1968) is the Deputy Governor of Benue State, in office since 29 May 2023, and the All Progressives Congress deputy governorship candidate, running mate to Governor Hyacinth Alia, for the election of 6 February 2027 (INEC final list, 10 October 2026). Alia said on 1 September 2025 that there was "no vacancy" for a deputy governor in 2027. A lawyer and administrator from Otukpo Local Government Area, he studied law at Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo (diploma, 1987), theatre arts at the University of Jos (BA, 1993) and public administration (master's, 2008) and law (LL.B) at the University of Abuja, and was called to the bar by December 2018. He was pioneer state secretary of the National Democratic Party in Benue, Special Assistant to Governor George Akume (2005), caretaker chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, and Special Adviser to Governor Gabriel Suswam on local government and chieftaincy affairs (from 2007) before becoming Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs in the reconstituted Jonathan cabinet of April 2010. He later chaired the board of the Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority. He was a PDP governorship aspirant in 2014 and an APC chieftain by September 2018. Named running mate to Emmanuel Jime on 30 November 2018, he lost the 2019 election when the Jime ticket took 345,155 votes against 434,473 for Samuel Ortom's. In the 2022-23 APC governorship primary he was runner-up with 22,319 votes to Hyacinth Alia's 410,682, and was then chosen as Alia's running mate (a choice contested by Benue South APC elders). The ticket won the 18 March 2023 election with 473,933 votes. A PDP petition alleging that he presented a forged certificate to INEC was dismissed by the tribunal, the Court of Appeal (which held forgery was not proved) and the Supreme Court. Wesley University, Ondo, honoured him at its 2023 convocation.
01 → 02 → 03
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The available record starts elsewhere.
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Seeking public office
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A life in the public record.
23 linked entries · 22 distinct source links
Review dates are separate from event dates.
23 entries · Whole record
1968
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEarly lifeProfile record
Born
Ode Samuel was born on 7 Nov 1968.
1975
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
NKST Primary School, Gboko
First School Leaving Certificate
- Location
- Gboko, Benue State
- Institution
- Primary
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
1980
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
Wesley High School, Otukpo
General Certificate of Education
- Location
- Otukpo, Benue State
- Institution
- Secondary
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
1985
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo
Diploma in Law · Law
- Location
- Ugbokolo, Benue State
- Institution
- Polytechnic
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
1989
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
University of Jos
BA Theatre Arts · Theatre Arts
- Location
- Jos, Plateau State
- Institution
- University
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
2002
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Pioneer State Secretary
National Democratic Party (Benue State chapter, 1999-era party)
- Industry
- Politics
Pioneer state secretary of the National Democratic Party in Benue; BLERF gives 2002, Daily Trust says he was elected after the 1999 return to democracy. This is the old NDP, not the 2024 party of the same name.
2005
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Special Assistant to the Governor (George Akume)
Office of the Governor, Benue State
- Industry
- Public service
Appointed in 2005 by Governor George Akume; served until made caretaker chairman of Otukpo LGC (BLERF: 2005-06).
2006
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Caretaker Chairman
Otukpo Local Government Council
- Industry
- Local government
Caretaker chairman after serving as Special Assistant to Governor Akume; BLERF gives 2006. End year not found (he became Special Adviser to Governor Suswam from 2007).
2007
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDWorking lifeReviewed record
Special Adviser to the Governor (Gabriel Suswam)
Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Benue State
- Industry
- Public service
BLERF: adviser since 2007; Daily Trust (April 2010) says he was nominated a minister from this post. Daily Trust 2018 calls the post "Special Assistant".
2008
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
University of Abuja
Master of Public Administration · Public Administration
- Location
- Abuja
- Institution
- Masters
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
2010
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDAppointedReviewed record
Minister
Nigeria
- Status
- Ended
- Party on this record
- PDP
An open end date does not establish current service.
2018
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDEducation & qualificationsReviewed record
Nigerian Law School, Bwari
Barrister-at-Law (BL)
- Location
- Bwari, Abuja
- Institution
- Professional
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
2019
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDElection participationReviewed record
2019 Deputy-governorship election
All Progressives Congress · Benue
- Result
- Lost
- Votes
- 345,155
- Vote share
- 41.54%
- Recorded winner
- Samuel Ortom (PDP ticket)
Named running mate to Emmanuel Jime (APC) on Friday 30 Nov 2018 (party decision announced by acting state publicity secretary James Oruguga), replacing Vembeh Gbihi Isaac, a placeholder whose name INEC had already published. Poll of 9 March 2019 was inconclusive (Ortom 410,576; Jime 329,022); supplementary election 23 March (Ortom 23,897; Jime 16,133). Declared Sunday 24 March…
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Named running mate to Emmanuel Jime (APC) on Friday 30 Nov 2018 (party decision announced by acting state publicity secretary James Oruguga), replacing Vembeh Gbihi Isaac, a placeholder whose name INEC had already published. Poll of 9 March 2019 was inconclusive (Ortom 410,576; Jime 329,022); supplementary election 23 March (Ortom 23,897; Jime 16,133). Declared Sunday 24 March 2019 by returning officer Sebastine Maimako: Ortom (PDP) 434,473; Jime 345,155; valid votes 830,954 (percentage computed).
2022
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDParty primaryReviewed record
2023 Governorship primary
All Progressives Congress · Benue
- Primary result
- Lost
- What this establishes
- A party-stage result, not election to public office
- Votes
- 22,319
- Recorded winner
- Hyacinth Alia
Aspirant in the APC Benue governorship primary (declared aspirant by 4 Feb 2022, Vanguard). In the count declared on Friday 3 Feb 2023 by committee chairman Senator Basheer Lado after the Court of Appeal-ordered re-run in 11 LGAs, he was runner-up: Alia 410,682; Ode 22,319; Steven Lawani 21,172; Mathias Ibuan 14,593 (he took 255 votes in the 11-LGA re-run itself). He was…
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Aspirant in the APC Benue governorship primary (declared aspirant by 4 Feb 2022, Vanguard). In the count declared on Friday 3 Feb 2023 by committee chairman Senator Basheer Lado after the Court of Appeal-ordered re-run in 11 LGAs, he was runner-up: Alia 410,682; Ode 22,319; Steven Lawani 21,172; Mathias Ibuan 14,593 (he took 255 votes in the 11-LGA re-run itself). He was afterwards chosen as running mate by the winner, Hyacinth Alia.
2023
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDHonours & recognitionReviewed record
Honorary award (fellow / honorary doctorate), Wesley University, Ondo
Joint 11th and 12th convocation; the report does not say whether his award was a fellowship or an honorary doctorate.
- Awarded by
- Wesley University, Ondo
- Category
- Academic
An award records recognition; it is not an independent measure of performance.
Election participationReviewed record
2023 Deputy-governorship election
All Progressives Congress · Benue
- Result
- Won
- Votes
- 473,933
- Vote share
- 62.61%
- Recorded winner
- Hyacinth Alia / Samuel Ode (APC ticket)
Running mate to Hyacinth Alia. The Nation reported Ode as the pick on 25 Jul 2022 (not fetched; reported by Daily Post, 26 Jul 2022, as "unconfirmed stories"); on 26 Jul 2022 Alia's campaign said no running mate had been chosen and that Isaac Gbihi Vembeh was a placeholder submitted to INEC, and Benue South (Zone C) APC elders rejected Ode's nomination the same day. The PDP…
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Running mate to Hyacinth Alia. The Nation reported Ode as the pick on 25 Jul 2022 (not fetched; reported by Daily Post, 26 Jul 2022, as "unconfirmed stories"); on 26 Jul 2022 Alia's campaign said no running mate had been chosen and that Isaac Gbihi Vembeh was a placeholder submitted to INEC, and Benue South (Zone C) APC elders rejected Ode's nomination the same day. The PDP petitioners later told the tribunal he emerged as deputy candidate only on 12 August 2022 (a claim by the opposing party; the formal day was not otherwise found). Ticket result 18 March 2023: 473,933 votes (62.61% of 756,903 valid votes, computed) v Titus Uba (PDP) 223,913. Sworn in 29 May 2023. A PDP petition alleging a forged certificate was dismissed (see legal records).
ElectedReviewed record
Deputy Governor
Benue
- Status
- Current term
- Party on this record
- APC
2027
IN THE PUBLIC RECORDElection participationReviewed record
2027 Deputy-governorship election
All Progressives Congress · Benue
- Result
- Pending
INEC final list of candidates (Governorship, Benue State), published 2026-10-10 — SN 3; INEC name: ODE SAMUEL; age 57; male; qualification (as declared to INEC): NKST GBOKO GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION BACHELOR OF LAWS., LLB/BL; governorship candidate: Alia Hyacinth Iormem · Retained as running mate to Governor Hyacinth Alia. Alia said on 1 Sep 2025 "There is no vacancy for…
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INEC final list of candidates (Governorship, Benue State), published 2026-10-10 — SN 3; INEC name: ODE SAMUEL; age 57; male; qualification (as declared to INEC): NKST GBOKO GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION BACHELOR OF LAWS., LLB/BL; governorship candidate: Alia Hyacinth Iormem · Retained as running mate to Governor Hyacinth Alia. Alia said on 1 Sep 2025 "There is no vacancy for any Deputy Governor in 2027"; Daily Trust (13 Jun 2026) noted the APC had made no formal announcement but Alia had repeatedly said Ode would continue; a supportive Blueprint opinion column (28 Jul 2026) treats the retention as settled; INEC's final list of 10 Oct 2026 names him. Exact day of the formal nomination not found. · 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: NKST GBOKO GENERAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION BACHELOR OF LAWS., LLB/BL.
Dates not recorded
KEPT OUTSIDE THE DATED CHRONOLOGYParty membershipReviewed record
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Deputy Governor of Benue and APC deputy governorship candidate in the 2027 election (INEC final list, 10 October 2026); an APC chieftain by 12 September 2018; date joined not found.
An end date is not recorded for this membership.
Public appointment & advisory workReviewed record
Chairman, Governing Board
Upper Niger River Basin Development Authority
- Industry
- Public administration
Board chairman during the Goodluck Jonathan presidency (2010-2015); start and end years not found.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS)
Member / senior executive course participant
- Institution
- Program
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
Party membershipReviewed record
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
PDP member from the Suswam era (joined through his friendship with Gabriel Suswam); PDP governorship aspirant declared 29 November 2014. Moved to the APC before September 2018; joining and leaving days not found.
An end date is not recorded for this membership.
Education & qualificationsReviewed record
University of Abuja
LL.B (Public and International Law) · Public and International Law
- Location
- Abuja
- Institution
- University
Graduation stated in the linked record. This does not by itself authenticate an original certificate.
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