Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in the 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 and was among the seven states created at that time. The state derives its name from the Benue River initially called Ber-nor,a compound word in Tiv language which means river or lake of hippopotamus the name Ber-nor was corrupted to BENUE by colonial masters,the river is the second largest river in Nigeria after the River Niger. The state borders Nasarawa State to the North;Taraba State to the East;Kogi State to the West;Enugu State to the South-West;Ebonyi and Cross-Rivers State to the South;and has an international border with Cameroon to the South-East. It is inhabited predominantly by the Tiv,Idoma and Igede people. Minority ethnic groups in Benue are Etulo,Igbo and Jukun people etc. Its capital is Makurdi. Benue is a rich agricultural region;common crops cultivated in the state include oranges,yams,mangoes,sweet potatoes,cassava,soya bean,guinea corn,flax,sesame,rice,groundnuts and palm trees.
The Nigerian National Assembly delegation from Benue comprises three Senators representing Benue South,Benue North-East,and Benue North-West,and 11 Representatives representing Apa/Agatu,Kwande/Ushongo,Oju/Obi Vandeikya/Konshisha,Buruku,Ado/Ogbadigba/Opkokwu,Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo,Gboko/Tarka,Makurdi/Guma,Gwer/Gwer-west and Otukpo/Ohimini.
Agatu is a Local Government Area of Benue State,North Central Nigeria. It was created in 1996. It used to be the Agatu district of the old Otukpo division. The headquarters of the local government is at Obagaji;it is one of nine local government areas in the southern senatorial zone of Benue State which is mainly occupied by the Idoma people of Benue State. The resident population are mainly farmers.
Konshisha is a local government area of Benue State,Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Tse-Agberagba.
Kwande is a Local Government Area of Benue State,Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Adikpo.
Aper Aku (1938–1988) was elected governor of Benue State,Nigeria in October 1979 and reelected in October 1983,he left office after the military coup in December 1983 which General Mohammadu Buhari came to power.
John Dyegh is a Nigerian politician,businessman and philanthropist from Gboko,Benue State who served as a member of the 9th Nigeria National Assembly,representing Gboko/Tarka Federal constituency at the House of Representatives of Nigeria. Dyegh previously served as a member of committee on Appropriations,Drugs,Narcotics and Financial Crimes,Education,Gas Resources,Inter-Parliamentary Relations,Science and Technology in the 7th National Assembly. He ran for the second term as a favourite candidate,bearing the flag of the All Progressives Congress and retained his seat,following the announcement of 28 March National Assembly Polls in the 2015 General Elections in which he polled 67,463 votes to defeat his challenger,Bernard Nenger of the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) with 26,329 votes. He ran for a third term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress and won. Dyegh successfully served his 3rd term in the National Assembly and was the House committee chairman on Human Rights. He ran for a fourth term under the platform of the Peoples' Democratic Party where he lost to Regina Akume,a candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 general elections.
Michael Ornguga Mku,better known by the mononym "Mike" or "Mike Mku" is a Nigerian Politician,Businessman and Philanthropist from Gboko,Benue State in central Nigeria. He is the son of Late Chief Aul Mku,who was the District Head of Yandev-South,from Yandev - a suburb of Gboko town in the North-West province of Benue State.
The Benue State House of Assembly is the legislative arm of the government of Benue State of Nigeria. It is a unicameral legislature with 32 members elected from the 23 local government areas of the state. This makes the number of legislators in the Benue State House of Assembly 32.
Blessing Onyeche Onuh is a Nigerian politician from Benue State. She represents Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. She is the daughter of former Senate President David Mark.
The 2023 Benue State gubernatorial election took place on 18 March 2023,to elect the governor of Benue State,concurrent with elections to the Benue State House of Assembly as well as twenty-seven other gubernatorial elections and elections to all other state houses of assembly. The election —which was postponed from its original 11 March date —was held three weeks after the presidential election and National Assembly elections. Incumbent PDP Governor Samuel Ortom was term-limited and could not seek re-election to a third term. Hyacinth Alia —a suspended Catholic priest —gained the office for the APC by a 33% margin over PDP nominee House of Assembly Speaker Titus Uba.
The 2023 Nigerian House of Representatives elections were held on 25 February 2023 where voters elected members of the House of Representatives using first-past-the-post voting in all 360 federal constituencies. The last regular House elections for all districts were in 2019.
The 2019 Benue State House of Assembly election was held on March 9,2019,to elect members of the Benue State House of Assembly in Nigeria. All the 30 seats were up for election in the Benue State House of Assembly.
Margaret Icheen is a politician,an educationist and administrator,she was the first female speaker of a state House of Assembly in Nigeria and in Africa,Delegate to the National Political Reform Conference (CONFAB),Chairman Benue Football Association,Federal Character Commissioner,The Executive member of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
Samson Okwu is a Nigerian politician and member of the Federal House of Representatives for Oju/Obi Federal Constituency in the 7th to 9th National Assembly. A member of the People's Democratic Party,PDP,he failed re-election to the house in the 2023 elections after being defeated by his long-standing opponent,David Ogewu of the All Progressives Congress,APC.
Emmanuel Memga Udende is a Nigerian politician,who is the Senator for Benue North East Senatorial District on the ticket of All Progressives Congress,APC. He defeated incumbent senator and former governor of Benue State Gabriel Suswam in the February 25,2023,National Assembly elections.
Aminu Iya Abbas is a Nigerian politician who is the Senator for Adamawa Central. He was 2 terms Member of Adamawa State House of Assembly and served as Speaker of the Assembly between 2019 and 2023.
Festus Ayodele Adefiranye is a former Telecommunication Engineer,a Nigerian politician and a Member of the House of Representative in the 10th Nigerian National Assembly representing the people of Ileoluji/Okeigbo &Odigbo Federal Constituency. He is from Okeigbo in Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government of Ondo State.
Pius Ukeyima Akutah is a Nigerian legal practitioner and public servant currently serving as the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Shippers' Council. He assumed office on October 25,2023,succeeding Emmanuel Jime,and officially commenced his duties at the council's headquarters in Lagos on November 1,2023.
