The internal crisis within the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) intensified on Monday as the dissolved Austin Agada-led faction announced the nomination of 23 chairmanship and 276 councillorship candidates for the upcoming October 5 local government elections in the state.
This announcement followed a primary election held on Saturday across all wards in Benue State’s 23 local government areas.
However, this development occurred amidst ongoing legal disputes within the party, particularly concerning the Agada-led faction’s dissolution by the APC’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The Agada-led executives had previously taken legal action against Ganduje for allegedly disregarding a court order.
A Benue High Court had issued an ex parte order preventing the APC National Working Committee from dissolving the Agada-led State Working Committee until their four-year tenure expired.
Despite this order, the NWC proceeded to dissolve the committee and installed a caretaker committee to manage the party’s affairs for six months.
This crisis has resulted in the Benue APC being divided between two factions—one loyal to Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, led by Austin Agada, and the other aligned with Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, led by Benjamin Omakolo.
In response to the recent primary elections, the Omakolo-led faction, as well as the chairman of the caretaker committee appointed by the NWC, Benjamin Omale, urged party members to disregard the results of the Agada faction’s primaries, further deepening the division within the state party.
Ganduje has maintained that the caretaker committee was established to address the ongoing crisis, but the factional divide appears to persist as both groups continue to assert their leadership claims.
Omale while reacting to the primary said, “The Chairman of the Unity Caretaker Committee informs the APC family in the state that the party will commence the sale of forms for the forthcoming local government elections on Monday, 26th August 2024 at the party’s state secretariat, J.S. Tarka Way, Makurdi.”
The caretaker committee later took over the Agada-led faction’s secretariat along the J.S. Tarka Way in Makurdi.
Speaking with Punch at the party secretariat, the Publicity Secretary under Omakolo faction, Terseer Agber, said that they were at the party secretariat to formally hand over to the caretaker committee just as he said that their factional office had been shut down.
“Yes, we are the party secretariat to hand over to the caretaker committee that has taken over the affairs of APC in the state.
“We will do that as soon as the APC lawmakers in the state Assembly who are holding meeting with the caretaker committee come out,” Agber said.
But the deputy spokesman for the House of Representatives and member representing Ado/ Ogbadibo/Okpokwu Federal Constituency, Philip Agbese, congratulated Governor Alia on the success of the party primary purportedly conducted last Saturday by the Agada faction loyal to Akume.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Lawrence Oduh, the Rep applauded Alai for providing a transparent and inclusive environment that was crucial to the peaceful and orderly conduct of the primaries.
Oduh said, “Dr. Agbese praised Governor Alia for providing a transparent and inclusive environment that was crucial to the peaceful and orderly conduct of the primaries.
“He highlighted the governor’s commitment to democracy, noting that the process was free of major incidents and allowed for the genuine expression of the people’s will.”