The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressive Congress in Benue State is yet to abate despite the intervention of the Tiv Area Traditional Council.
The traditional institution chaired by the paramount ruler of the Tiv nation, His Imperial Majesty, Professor James Ayatse, the Tor Tiv had on Easter Monday brokered peace between Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
The two leaders had engaged in a cold war over the control of the party structure in the state. While the state working committee of the party and stakeholders are loyal to Akume, the state governor who is piqued by the development inaugurated a factional group headed by Benjamin Omakolo.
Indications of the possible collapse of the reconciliation moves manifested on Wednesday with the factional groups working in opposite directions in preparation for the July 6, local government election.
The faction loyal to the SGF had on Tuesday announced the composition of members of the zoning committee for the coming local government election.
A statement issued and signed by the state’s Publicly Secretary, Daniel Ihomun, read in parts, “Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Benue State, Comrade Austin Agada, has approved the following names as Members of the Zoning Committee for the forthcoming local Government council elections following guidelines and timetable of activities released by the State Independent Electoral Commission.
“The committee is to be inaugurated at the party Secretariat Congress Hall of the State Secretariat of the party, No. 75 J.S Tarka Way, Makurdi on the 19th, April 2024 by 12:00 noon.”
While 21 members drawn from the three senatorial districts make up the zoning committee, the party further directed Local Government party chairmen and Ward chairmen to liaise with their respective party excos and stakeholders to perfect the zoning arrangements for the Chairmanship and Councillorship positions at the local Government and Ward levels to ease the committee’s assignment.
But in a swift response, the Omakolo-led team informed party members to disregard the directive.
A separate statement issued by the faction’s publicity secretary, Terseer Agber, read in parts, “The Benue state chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Benjamin Omakolo wishes to inform our loyal members and the general public that no committee of any kind has been formed by the SEC of the APC which he is the chairman.
“He therefore calls on all party members and the general public to disregard any release not endorsed by him or the state publicity secretary of the party, Hon. Terseer Agber.
“The SEC of the All Progressives Congress would ordinarily have ignored such baseless shenanigans by a rejected and disgruntled group of party members, but for the fact that silence would most likely mislead our teeming members and supporters within and beyond the state.
“The chairman wonders how a non-existing state executive council could sit at Abuja and constitute an elections zoning committee for Benue state.
“Hon. Benjamin Omakolo calls on all party faithful to remain calm and wait for the time the SEC of the party led by him would constitute the committee for the zoning of elective positions.