The ongoing crisis within the Benue chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) took a significant turn on Wednesday when the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) announced the dissolution of the Austine Agada-led state executives.
In their place, the NWC swiftly inaugurated a seven-member caretaker committee to manage the party’s affairs at the state level for the next six months.
The new committee is chaired by Benjamin Omale, with Prof. Bem Angwe serving as secretary. Other members include Richard Mzungweve, James Ornguga, Terhemen Ngbea, Helen Agaigbe, and Ali Francis Adah.
This leadership change occurred just hours after a Benue High Court issued an order preventing the APC from removing Agada and his team. The ex parte order, granted by Justice Theresa Igoche, barred the Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje-led NWC from dismissing the Agada-led State Working Committee before the completion of their four-year term.
The Benue APC has been embroiled in a leadership dispute, with Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume supporting opposing factions. While Akume backed the Agada-led committee, Alia supported a faction led by Benjamin Omakolo.
Following the caretaker committee’s inauguration, the APC National Chairman expressed regret over the situation, stating that the dissolution was necessary to prevent the party from falling apart. He emphasized the need for unity within the party and urged the new committee to work towards resolving the ongoing conflicts.
“The decision to dissolve the Benue APC was made to ensure the party’s survival,” the chairman stated. “We are aware of the challenges in Benue, including factionalism and legal disputes. To address these issues, the NWC has appointed a caretaker committee to manage the party’s affairs for the next six months.”
As the local government elections approach, the caretaker committee has also been tasked with conducting primaries for candidates seeking to become chairmen and councillors in their respective local government areas.
In his acceptance speech, Omale expressed gratitude to the party leadership and promised to work towards uniting and reconciling all aggrieved members in the state. “We are here to fulfill the mandate given to us by the president and the governor,” Omale said. “Our focus will be on bringing peace and reconciliation to the party in Benue, and we will work together as a team to achieve this goal.”
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