In the politics of deputy governorship, loyalty is often treated as a weakness. In reality, when properly understood, it can be one of the most valuable assets in governance.
Dr. Sam Ode, mni, the Deputy Governor of Benue State, offers an interesting example of how political experience, geographical reach, language and institutional loyalty can be converted into useful governance capital.
At some point, his political history with Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made him vulnerable to the charge of being a “betrayer.” The argument was simple: Dr. Sam Ode had a long association with Sen Akume, dating back to 2005 when he became Special Assistant to the then Governor. His emergence as deputy governorship candidate in 2019 and again in 2023 was also linked to that political relationship.
But politics eventually presented him with a more complicated test.
After an unsuccessful attempt as deputy governorship candidate to Mr. Emmanuel Jime in 2019, Dr. Sam Ode joined Fr. Hyacinth Alia on the 2023 ticket. Their victory brought him into a political equation in which his historical relationship with Akume could easily have become a source of tension.
The alleged political differences between Fr. Alia and Senator Akume created an obvious test for Dr. Sam Ode. Yet the more important question was not where Dr. Sam Ode had come from or belong, but what he would do with the office he had attained.
His conduct since assuming office provides a useful lesson: A deputy governor can have an independent political identity without becoming an alternative centre of government.
Indeed, a deputy governor should not be reduced to a ceremonial assistant. Neither should the office become a platform for rivalry with the governor. The productive middle ground is partnership such that the deputy retains his political relevance while helping the administration deliver its mandate.
This is where Dr. Sam Ode’s particular background becomes an asset.
He has connections that cut across Benue’s three senatorial zones. He is from Zone C, while his mother is from Zone A, the same senatorial zone as Fr. Alia. He speaks Tiv fluently and has spent considerable time moving across the state. His educational journey also reflects a Benue that cuts across geographical boundaries, beginning with his foundation at NKST Primary School, Gboko, in 1974 before proceeding to Wesley High School, Otukpo.
That reach is not merely biographical information. It is governance capital.
Language, particularly in a state as culturally diverse as Benue, can reduce the distance between government and citizens. A government representative who can communicate with people in the language they understand does more than deliver a speech. He creates familiarity. He makes government less distant.
I saw an example of this in 2024 at Wandor, Mbakyôr, Mbalôm in Gwer East Local Government Area (LGA), during the mass burial of victims of the March 7 attack on the community. Standing among the mourners, I watched the Deputy Governor deliver the Governor’s message in Tiv.
The response from the crowd was striking. There was a thunderous applause. At a moment defined by grief, the language mattered. It demonstrated that communication in governance is not simply about transmitting information; it is also about connecting emotionally with citizens.
This is perhaps one reason Dr. Sam Ode fits naturally into his role as Chairman of the Benue State Boundary Committee. Boundary disputes are rarely solved by official documents alone. They involve communities, histories, emotions and sometimes deeply held local identities. A negotiator who can enter a community, speak its language and establish immediate rapport possesses an advantage that no government memo can provide.
A deputy governor who can move comfortably among communities, understand local sensitivities and engage people directly can help government resolve problems before they become crises. Generosity, accessibility and familiarity may sound like soft qualities, but in conflict resolution and community engagement they can have hard consequences.
The same principle applies to the question of loyalty.
When another political controversy emerged over the appointment of a Coordinator for the Office of the First Lady, attempts were made to interpret the development as evidence of friction between the Governor and Deputy Governor.
The Deputy Governor’s office rejected that interpretation. In a statement attributed to his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Ior Kyereve, the office said Dr. Sam Ode and his family continued to maintain a “cordial and productive working relationship” with Fr. Alia and other key actors in government, anchored on mutual respect, cooperation and a shared commitment to good governance.
That clarification is significant because political administrations often suffer not only from actual disagreements but from rumours of disagreements.
A useful deputy therefore has another responsibility: To prevent avoidable political noise from becoming an administrative crisis.
Fr. Alia has also publicly acknowledged his relationship with Dr. Sam Ode and subsequently retained him as his running mate for the 2027 governorship election.
Whatever one’s political interpretation of the Alia-Ode partnership, there is a governance principle worth preserving: The governor and deputy governor must be able to work as a team.
Benue has had deputy governors with different political backgrounds, temperaments and relationships with their principals. The recurring lesson from Nigerian politics is that the governor-deputy relationship can either strengthen an administration or consume it.
Dr. Sam Ode brings political history without allowing it to overwhelm his current responsibility. He brings geographical connections without turning them into sectional politics. He brings language without using it merely for symbolism. And, perhaps most importantly, he has demonstrated that being a deputy does not necessarily mean being politically invisible.
For a state struggling with insecurity, displacement, communal disputes and the challenge of reconnecting government with citizens, these are not small advantages.
The value of any governor-deputy partnership must ultimately be measured by what happens to the people. That is where the Alia-Ode partnership should continue to direct its energy.
If there is a lesson in Sam Ode’s political journey, it is that the best deputy is not the one who merely knows how to succeed the governor, but the one who knows how to help the governor succeed.
