By Terver Akase, PhD
There is an old wisdom among our people: it is the tree with ripe fruits that attracts stones. Nobody wastes his strength throwing stones at a barren tree.
That proverb increasingly captures the political experience of Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, since his emergence as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State for the 2027 election.
One does not need to be a political scientist to notice the pattern.
Since Aondoakaa entered the race as the PDP standard-bearer, there has been a remarkable succession of controversies, allegations and narratives around his candidacy. One allegation barely disappears before another takes its place.
Aondoakaa’s record as Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has been revisited. Old controversies have been exhumed and repackaged. The Zaki Biam compensation issue has been dragged into contemporary political discourse. Questions have been raised about his eligibility. And now comes the latest story alleging that leaders of his own party are plotting to replace him with another candidate.
At some point, reasonable people must ask a simple question:
Who is afraid of Aondoakaa?
Politics is a contest of ideas, records and alternatives. Criticism of anyone seeking public office is therefore legitimate. Aondoakaa should be scrutinised. His record should be interrogated. His proposals for Benue should be questioned. Indeed, every serious candidate for Governor ought to undergo rigorous public examination.
But there is a difference between scrutiny and a seemingly endless conveyor belt of narratives designed to keep one candidate permanently on the defensive.
The sheer frequency with which Aondoakaa has become the subject of political controversy since emerging as PDP candidate raises an interesting question of its own.
Why him?
Why the persistent excavation of issues from years ago?
Why the recurring speculation about his eligibility and candidature?
Why the apparent eagerness to create uncertainty around his political future?
And why, when previous narratives lose momentum, does another seemingly emerge?
Perhaps the answer lies not in Aondoakaa’s weaknesses, but in the strengths his opponents increasingly recognize.
The Candidate They Cannot Ignore
Chief Aondoakaa is not entering the 2027 contest as an unknown quantity. He is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice. He has operated at the highest levels of Nigeria’s legal profession and Federal Government. He understands the workings of government, the relationship between Abuja and the states, and the complex intersection of law, politics, investment and development.
More importantly, he enters the race at a time when Benue desperately needs a serious conversation about security, agriculture, jobs, infrastructure, investment and the future of its young people.
His message has increasingly centred on a simple proposition: Benue First.
Security first, so that farmers can return to their ancestral lands.
Agriculture not merely for subsistence, but as the foundation for agro-industrial development.
Jobs and economic opportunities for young people.
Infrastructure that connects farms to markets and communities to economic opportunities.
A government that encourages indigenous businesses and keeps a greater share of Benue’s wealth circulating within the state.
These are issues capable of moving a governorship election beyond propaganda and personality clashes into a genuine debate about the future. And that may explain why Aondoakaa cannot simply be ignored.
His years as Attorney General of the Federation have repeatedly been presented as ammunition against his candidature.
That is fair territory for legitimate scrutiny. Anyone who has occupied such an important national office must expect his decisions to be examined.
But scrutiny must also respect facts, context and the passage of time.
A democracy cannot function properly when insinuation becomes evidence and repetition is expected to transform allegation into fact.
And Now The “Replacement” Story
Perhaps nothing illustrates the current atmosphere better than the latest claim that PDP leaders were plotting to replace Aondoakaa as governorship candidate.
Yes, former Governor Samuel Ortom, Senate Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa and other prominent Benue figures met with some notable personalities from outside the PDP.
But transforming a political consultation into an alleged conspiracy to remove the very governorship candidate who participated in the meeting requires an extraordinary leap.
Political leaders meet. They consult. They build bridges. They negotiate alliances. In a democracy, conversations across party lines are normal.
Indeed, if anything, the ability of political actors from different backgrounds to sit together and discuss Benue should be welcomed in a state whose challenges transcend partisan boundaries.
Yet, the meeting was quickly given another interpretation: Aondoakaa is about to be replaced.
Again, the question returns:
Who is afraid of Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa?
