2023 Nigerian Senate elections in Benue State

On the primary date, seven candidates contested a direct primary that ended with Emmanuel Memga Udende—former MHR for Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo—winning the nomination after results showed him defeating Terlumun Akputu by a 40% margin.[13]

On the primary date, an indirect primary ended with Suswam's renomination as he was unopposed.[20]

In December 2022, reporting from The Punch stated that while Udende and Suswam were the two frontrunners, Torngee Malu (LP) could obtain a significant share of the vote total.[21]

On 30 May, a direct primary that ended with Titus Zam defeating two other candidates in a landslide.

Weeks before the primary, Orker-Jev declined to run for re-election in favour of outgoing Governor Samuel Ortom's senatorial ambition. On the primary date, Ortom was nominated unopposed at the venue in Makurdi. After the vote, Ortom thanked the people of the district and pledged to continue good representation.[25][20]

In review of the campaign in December 2022, reporting from The Nation observed regional elements to the election as Ortom's feud with PDP National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu reflected on their native communities as Ortom is a Jemgba Tiv while Ayu is a Minda Tiv. Another key factor noted was the ability of Ortom to use the power of his state government to help campaigning.[26] In a piece later that month from The Punch, reporting indicated that Ortom had met with several Minda Tiv community leaders to gain their support while Zam had been hindered by the rising candidacy of Mark Gbillah (LP)—a MHR who, like Zam, originates from Gwer West LGA.[21] A piece from The Africa Report in January also noted regional sentiments and Gwer West vote splitting but focused more so on the Ortom versus former Governor George Akume dynamic. An analyst claimed "Zam is Akume's candidate" and thus the election was labeled effectively a contest between Ortom and Akume.[27]

In the fortnight prior to the election, the election came to national attention when Ortom endorsed Peter Obi in the presidential election on 17 February 2023.[28] While it was notable as he became the first incumbent governor to endorse Obi, in terms of the senatorial election, Ortom became in danger of internal PDP sanction due to the endorsement. Despite this threat, Ortom claimed that he was "sacrifice [his] senatorial ambition" for Obi's campaign.[29] Pundits noted the oddity of Ortom endorsing Obi while competing against Gbillah in addition to the rising popularity of APC gubernatorial nominee Hyacinth Alia.[30]

On 30 May, a direct primary that ended with activist Daniel Onjeh defeating four candidates in a landslide. In Onjeh's acceptance speech, he called on the party to unite behind him as its nominee.[22][31]

On May 28, four candidates contested an indirect primary that ended with Moro winning renomination after results showed him defeating Hassan Anthony Saleh by a significant margin.[34]

In a December 2022 campaign analysis article, The Punch labeled Moro as the frontrunner while Onjeh and Joseph Ojobo (LP) were noted as other major candidates.[21]