The Labour Party (LP) has unveiled former Chairman of Okpokwu Local Government Council, Hon. Juliana Obetta, as its deputy governorship candidate for the 2027 Benue State governorship election.

Obetta was formally presented to party members and supporters on Monday in Makurdi by the LP governorship candidate, Dr. Matthias Byuan, during a well-attended ceremony.

Her nomination marks a historic milestone, making her the first woman to be nominated as a deputy governorship candidate by a political party in Benue State.

Byuan, a former Executive Director (Finance and Accounts) of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), emerged as the Labour Party’s consensus governorship candidate on Saturday following a statewide affirmation exercise in which he secured 231,124 votes from delegates across the state’s 23 local government areas.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Byuan described Obetta’s emergence as a deliberate effort by the party to promote gender inclusion and increase women’s participation in governance.

“This is the first time a woman will emerge as a deputy governorship candidate in Benue State. We are a party that believes women must have a voice in government,” he said.

The governorship candidate expressed confidence that the Labour Party would win the 2027 election and outlined plans to transform the state through industrialisation, free education, improved security and reforms across key sectors.

“When we take over the leadership of Benue State in 2027, we will create jobs by transforming the state from a civil service-driven economy to an industrialised one. We will introduce free education at all levels, tackle insecurity decisively and overhaul all sectors to ensure Benue occupies its rightful place among the leading states in Nigeria,” he said.

Byuan noted that Obetta’s selection followed extensive consultations with party leaders and stakeholders across the state and described her as the most suitable person for the position.

Earlier, the member representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency and Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, described the party’s recent primaries as peaceful and transparent.

“Our primaries were conducted without rancour, making them the best among all political parties in the state. The Labour Party is ready to take over leadership in Benue, and we call on the people to rally behind us,” Agbese said.

In her acceptance speech, Obetta dedicated her nomination to women across Benue State, describing it as a major step toward gender inclusion in governance.

“This nomination, I accept wholeheartedly, and I want to say to the women of Benue that this nomination is for you,” she said.

She lamented the underrepresentation of women in governance despite their significant voting strength.

“Women constitute more than 80 per cent of the voting population in the state, yet after elections they are often sidelined. This is the first time a political party in Benue is giving women this level of recognition. I will be a voice for women and ensure their concerns are heard,” she stated.

Obetta, who served as the first female chairman of Okpokwu Local Government between 2012 and 2014, pledged to work closely with Mrs. Matthias Byuan to advance women’s interests and promote greater inclusion in government.

“We will work together to ensure women have a stronger voice in governance and that the 35 per cent affirmative action women have long advocated for becomes a reality,” she added.

Also speaking, the Labour Party’s Benue South senatorial candidate, Hon. Samuel Onuh, and the state chairman of the party, Mr. William Okefe Ochonu, commended the party’s national leadership, particularly the National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, for supporting the successful conduct of the primaries and candidate selection process.

They expressed confidence that the emergence of Byuan and Obetta had positioned the Labour Party as a strong contender in the 2027 governorship race and affirmed that Obetta’s nomination enjoyed widespread support during statewide consultations.

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, has defended his decision to refer to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as “Kachalla,” saying the title is commonly used by people such as notorious bandit leader Bello Turji to address their local leaders.

Lawal made the remarks while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday, shortly after announcing his resignation from the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

According to him, “Kachalla” is a title used by people in the bush to address their leaders, adding that Atiku, being a Fulani man, should not find the description unusual.

The former SGF also alleged that some Fulani groups were celebrating Atiku’s emergence as a presidential candidate because they believed it would improve their chances of producing Nigeria’s next president.

Lawal further accused the former vice president of failing to publicly condemn killings, kidnappings and violent attacks in parts of the country, particularly in northern Nigeria and his home state of Adamawa.

He questioned Atiku’s response to recent attacks that claimed several lives, including incidents in Adamawa, alleging that the former vice president had neither condemned the violence nor visited affected communities to sympathise with victims.

Lawal also referenced the killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto in 2022, claiming that Atiku initially issued a statement condemning the incident before later distancing himself from it.

He argued that a presidential aspirant should openly condemn acts of violence and what he described as ongoing killings in different parts of the country.

Lawal said:

“I called him ‘Kachalla’ because that’s the title people like Bello Turji call their local leaders. That’s the title their people in the bush use. Is he not a Fulani?

“Fulanis are celebrating now that their brother has gotten a ticket, aren’t they? And they are beginning to celebrate that they will produce the president.

“Why are they celebrating if they are not intending to use it for you? Have you ever heard Atiku condemn any of these kidnappings? Have you ever heard him on record condemning all these massive killings?

“Whether it is all these killings, eighteen people killed and maimed, what has Atiku said about it, not even talking about going there? Not even going to sympathise with the victims.

“Even in Adamawa, they killed seventeen villagers recently. Has he ever condemned it? Because the victims are not his people, has he ever condemned it, for God’s sake?

“Go and ask him. When they did that thing to Deborah in Sokoto and he made a press statement condemning it, he had to retract it. He had to retract it and started saying that it was his SA acting without his authority. He said that.

“He wants to be the president and he cannot condemn the genocide that is going on right before him, in his own state.”