Dave Awuna Padopas, popularly known as “Shimataver I Tyoshin” (Persevering Heart of the Tyoshin People), announced his intention to contest the Benue North‑East senatorial seat in the 2027 general election. At a lavish reception organised by the Tyoshin community last week, traditional rulers and local stakeholders publicly endorsed Awuna as the preferred successor to the incumbent, Senator Emmanuel Udende Memsa (APC) ¹ ².
Awuna, who rose through the Boys Scouts to become the national Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of Nigeria, traced his political roots to the Benue Proactive Coalition of 1999, which helped former Governor Gabriel Suswam secure the governorship. “The local government currently occupying the position is mine, and the stakeholders, traditional rulers have all endorsed me as a replacement for Senator Zam,” he told the crowd, referring to the incumbent from the neighbouring Benue South district ¹.
The endorsement carries weight in a district that comprises seven LGAs – Katsina‑Ala, Logo, Ukum, Konshisha, Vandeikya, Kwande and Ushongo – and is traditionally a stronghold for the APC, which retained the seat in the 2023 elections .Analysts note that Awuna’s grassroots network and his recent traditional title could shift the balance, especially as the Tyoshin political structures have pledged to rally behind Governor Hyacinth Alia’s administration while seeking to “evict” the current senator in 2027
The move has unsettled other aspirants. Several names that surfaced in the 2023 senatorial tally – including former PDP candidate Gabriel Suswam and APC hopefuls – are now scrambling to respond to Awuna’s surge . A senior party official, who asked not to be named, said the party is reviewing its strategy to retain the seat, emphasizing the need for “broad-based consultation with traditional leaders and youth groups.”
Awuna’s campaign is expected to focus on youth empowerment, echoing his scouting background, and on leveraging his traditional title to mobilise the Tyoshin electorate. He also hinted at a broader alliance with Governor Alia, whose administration has been courting the northern zones to solidify the APC’s foothold in the state.
As the 2027 election cycle gathers momentum, the Benue North‑East senatorial race now looks poised to become one of the more closely watched contests in the state, with the outcome likely to hinge on the interplay between traditional authority, youth mobilisation, and party machinery. The next few months will reveal whether Awuna’s “Shimataver” brand can translate the enthusiastic reception into a formal party nomination and, ultimately, a seat in the Senate.