Why Idoma Has Not Produced a Benue Governor

Idoma politicians have repeatedly failed to secure the Benue governorship because the state’s electoral politics are dominated by the larger Tiv community, which holds a numerical majority and stronger party networks. Party primaries and candidate selections often favor Tiv aspirants, and intra‑party agreements (sometimes informal “zoning” deals) have historically allocated the governorship to the Tiv bloc. Consequently, despite Idoma candidates contesting elections, they have not garnered enough intra‑party support or cross‑ethnic votes to win the governorship. Views Nigeria