A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State led by Augustine Agada has forwarded the names of 23 candidates for chairmanship positions in the upcoming Local Government Area (LGA) elections scheduled for October 5.
The faction supported by George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), also nominated 276 candidates for councillorship positions across various wards in the state.
A statement released from Agada’s office on Monday confirmed that the congresses to elect the candidates took place on Saturday and were conducted in a “peaceful” manner.
There had been tension with the party after APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) dissolved the faction and replaced its caretaker committee despite a court order restraining the NWC from taking such action.
In response, the Agada-led faction took legal action to uphold the court order and challenge the NWC’s decision.
The internal crisis has been further complicated by the presence of a rival faction led by Benjamin Omakolo and backed by Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia.
Governor Alia inaugurated the Omakolo-led faction in March after Agada was suspended from his ward in Ehaje and legally barred from presenting himself as the APC chair in Benue.