The 2027 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Candidate in Benue State, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa, SAN, has promised to restore the dignity and recognition of traditional leaders, especially tax collectors (Tor Kpande), in the state, assuring that his administration will improve their welfare and strengthen their role in grassroots governance.
Aondoakaa made the commitment in Agasha, Guma Local Government Area, where he joined the immediate past Governor of Benue State and PDP leader, Chief Samuel Ortom, as Ortom formally presented his wife and PDP Senatorial Candidate for Benue North-West, Dr Mrs Eunice Ortom, to his Nongov kinsmen.
Speaking to the people, Aondoakaa acknowledged the significant role traditional institutions play in maintaining peace, preserving culture, resolving communal disputes and mobilizing communities for development. He pledged that, if elected governor in 2027, his administration would accord traditional rulers the dignity, recognition and institutional support they deserve, while prioritising their welfare.
He further promised to strengthen and reinvigorate the implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law enacted by the Ortom administration, stressing that the protection of Benue land and the safety of its people would remain central to his government.
The PDP candidate also expressed appreciation to the Nongov people for their steadfast support for their son, Chief Samuel Ortom, and his family over the years. He urged them to sustain the same spirit of solidarity and extend their support to PDP candidates in the 2027 general elections.
He therefore called on the people of Nongov and the wider Guma community to unite behind Dr Mrs Eunice Ortom for the Benue North-West Senatorial District, himself as the PDP governorship candidate, and all other PDP candidates, describing the 2027 election as an opportunity for Benue people to choose leaders who will protect their land, promote unity and restore good governance.
