Tiv Area Traditional Council says it did not endorse Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia for a second term in office during its recent Ijirtamen meeting.
Ijirtamen is the highest council meeting of the Tiv nation, presided over by the paramount ruler of the Tiv people worldwide, the Tor Tiv, Prof James Ayatse.
Controversy had erupted over the weekend after Alia’s spokesperson, Tersoo Kula, thanked the council for what he described as an endorsement of the Governor’s re-election bid.
Alia in the statement, expressed “profound gratitude to the Ijir Tamen i Tiv (Supreme Council of the Tiv Nation), ably led by the Supreme Leader of the Tiv Nation, His Royal Majesty, Orchivirigh Prof James Iorzua Ortese Ayatse, Tor Tiv V, for endorsing him for a second term as Governor of Benue State.”
The Governor added that the supposed endorsement “reaffirms the unity, wisdom, and foresight of our revered traditional institution.”
But in a statement issued on Tuesday, Secretary of the Tiv Area Traditional Council, Shinyi Tyozua, clarified that the council merely gave royal blessings to Alia during its meeting on Saturday in Gboko.
Tyozua explained that Governor Alia attended the meeting on special invitation and briefed the council on his administration’s achievements in key sectors such as health, education, ICT, agriculture, and infrastructure.
He said the governor also requested royal blessings for continued success beyond 2027, to which the traditional rulers responded with the customary gesture of blessing, a practice extended to any Tiv son or daughter seeking favour in personal or political pursuits.
The statement stressed that the gesture should not be mistaken for political endorsement.
“Royal fathers don’t endorse candidates for elections because they do not have that authority. What happened at the meeting in Gboko was royal blessing, not political endorsement,” the statement added.
