Mathias Terwase Byuan has distanced himself from the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Benue State, insisting that he is no longer a member of the party.
Byuan, who is now seeking the Benue governorship ticket under the Labour Party (LP), said he officially resigned from the APC on May 7, 2026, and had already withdrawn his governorship aspiration before the APC released the list of cleared aspirants.
The APC had included his name among those cleared to contest the party’s governorship primary currently taking place across the 23 local government areas of the state.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Byuan described the inclusion of his name on the APC list as false and misleading.
“I wish to state clearly that I am no longer a member of the APC and I am not an aspirant for the office of governor under the party,” he said.
According to him, he formally notified his ward chairman of his resignation and also forwarded copies of the resignation letter to the APC national chairman, where it was acknowledged.
Byuan added that he also submitted a formal withdrawal letter to the APC screening committee and backed it up with a notarised affidavit confirming his voluntary withdrawal from the race.
“For the avoidance of doubt, any publication or list carrying my name as an APC governorship aspirant is unauthorised and does not reflect my current political position,” he stated.
The governorship hopeful said he has now fully aligned with the Labour Party and has already completed the party’s screening process ahead of its governorship primary scheduled for May 30.
He urged his supporters and the people of Benue State to disregard reports linking him to the APC primary and instead support his ambition and other Labour Party candidates in the 2027 elections.
