By Terfa Timothy 

A committee set up after a reconciliation meeting between Benue State Governor and the SGF has disowned reports claiming automatic tickets for lawmakers. The panel insists the circulating communiqué is unauthorised and does not reflect the meeting’s outcome.

A communiqué drafting committee constituted following a reconciliation meeting between Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Iormem Alia, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, has rejected claims that automatic tickets were approved for members of the National Assembly and the Benue State House of Assembly.

The committee, chaired by the Deputy Governor, Sam Ode, described reports published in some national newspapers as misleading and not representative of the outcome of the meeting.

In a disclaimer issued by the panel, it stated that the committee only prepared a draft communiqué for the consideration of Governor Alia and the SGF, and did not authorise the release of any final document.

According to the statement, the issue of automatic tickets for political office holders was neither discussed nor approved during the reconciliation meeting.

“The committee that was set up to draft the communiqué only prepared a draft for review. It did not issue or approve any communiqué,” the statement said.

The panel also questioned the authenticity of the document circulating in the media, noting that the signatures attached to it were attendance records from committee meetings and not approvals of any official resolution.

The committee warned that the publication could undermine ongoing reconciliation efforts within the Benue chapter of the All Progressives Congress and misrepresent the positions of key stakeholders.

It referenced remarks reportedly made by the APC National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mohammed Muazu Bawa, who reiterated that the party’s position remains the adoption of direct primaries for candidate selection.

The reconciliation meeting, according to sources familiar with the process, was convened to address internal disputes within the party and foster unity among contending factions.

The committee maintained that it lacks the authority to issue or sign any official communiqué, stressing that any valid document must be endorsed by both the governor and the SGF.