The leadership crisis within the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) escalated on Thursday as the dissolved state executive members, led by Hon. Augustine Agada, filed a lawsuit against the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.
The legal action follows what they describe as disobedience to a court order.
The crisis took a new twist after a Benue State High Court, on Wednesday, issued an order restraining the Ganduje-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC from dissolving the state executive led by Agada.
However, late on the same day, the NWC proceeded to dissolve the state executive committee, defying the court’s directive.
In response, Agada and eight other dissolved executive members approached the Benue State High Court on Thursday, filing contempt charges against the NWC.
The legal motion, identified as No: MHC/1585/M/2024, calls on the court to enforce compliance with its earlier decision, preventing the NWC from removing the Agada-led executive until the completion of their four-year tenure.
The dissolved Benue APC executive also requested the court to impose punitive measures against the NWC for its alleged disregard of the court order.
Agada, in an affidavit submitted by his counsel, M.T. Aiyebo, confirmed that the court’s order was served to the Ganduje-led NWC at the party’s national secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.
Despite receiving the court order, the NWC reportedly convened a meeting at 6:00 PM the same day, during which they dissolved the Agada-led executive committee and appointed a caretaker committee.
The dissolved exco now seeks legal recourse, accusing the party’s national leadership of violating the judicial order.
Speaking on the sacking Agada stated, “That I saw on several Television stations that same evening about 8pm and several other News media that the Benue state Working Committee of the Respondent on record has been dissolved by the Respondent against whom the leave of this Honourable court is been sought.”