The Benue State Government has dismissed a circulating report alleging that Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia intends to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) after a purported “secret meeting” with Senator Iyorchia Ayu, describing the claim as a baseless fabrication.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, the government labelled the story as a “wicked, mischievous, and vicious smear campaign” crafted to divert the governor’s attention from governance and mislead the presidency for political gains.

The government clarified that Governor Alia routinely visits elder statesmen and national figures without political or religious bias, noting that such engagements are consistent with his inclusive approach to leadership.

According to the statement, the governor considers visits to respected leaders including those of Sen. Ayu’s standing as normal and aligned with his development-focused agenda.

The statement further highlighted that Governor Alia has consistently reached out to influential stakeholders in Benue, many of whom have since joined the APC. Mentioned among them are former Senator Prof. David Iornem, Elder David Iorwashima Amo, and Ambassador Terhemen Tarzoor.

It added that the APC in Benue has continued to attract opposition figures across various local government areas, with defection events reportedly taking place on a regular basis.

“Such engagements have strengthened the party rather than weakened it,” the statement noted.

The government insisted that the true political situation in the state is the steady expansion of the APC under Governor Alia, not the “fiction being circulated by mischief makers.”

Governor Alia, it said, remains committed to strengthening the party ahead of 2027 and is open to engaging even his strongest opponents as part of a broader consolidation plan for his administration and for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The public was urged to ignore the “concocted story,” which officials described as an attempt to create confusion and undermine the administration’s progress.