A Benue High Court has ordered the ruling All Progressives Congress not to remove the state APC Chairman, Augustine Agada, and the current executives of the party.
A copy of the exparte order granted by Justice Theresa Igoche in motion No MH /1585m/2024 was made available to newsmen at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja on Wednesday.
The court particularly stopped the Dr Abdullahi Ganduje-led National Working Committee of the party from sacking the Austin Agada-led State Working Committee until the expiration of their four-year tenure.
The Benue chapter of the APC has been at loggerheads with Governor Hyacinth Alia over the leadership of the party in the state.
While the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, is in support of the Agada-led state working committee, Alia, on the other hand, has thrown its weight behind the Benjamin Omakolo-led faction.
Sensing that the growing tension may not end in his favour, Agada approached the court and secured a restraining order against any attempt to sack his executives.
The judge, while granting the exparte application by Agada and eight others, restrained the APC from removing, replacing, or terminating their tenure until the expiration of the four-year term in office pending the determination of the motion on the notice.
“I have looked at the processes filed along with the application, particularly Exhibit MT “1” attached to the affidavit in support, and I am satisfied that the application has merit,” the judge declared while granting the prayers of Agada.
“In the circumstances, I hereby grant the application as prayed.”
The court thereby ordered that the order be served on the APC forthwith, along with the motion on notice fixed for hearing on August 28.
Addressing journalists after serving the restraining order on the NWC at the party secretariat on Wednesday, Agada called on the leadership of APC to respect the court order and not cause confusion in the state.
He said, “We were elected for four years and we are not pre-empting them. But, of course, in every iota of rumour, there is an element of truth. For some time now, there have been some movements by the governor and his agents to dissolve the State Working Committee, which I think is not fair by all standards.
“Recall that the crisis as to my purported removal started as far back as February. But the NWC immediately set aside the move, saying I, Austine Agada, remain the bonafide chairman of APC as of January 31, 2024.
“Thereafter they got a court injunction to restrain me even when the NWC squashed it using the internal mechanism of the party. The court, in its wisdom, led by the Chief Justice of Benue State set aside that suspension. It is still valid in court. They were angry and approached the Appeal Court. The case is still in the appellate court. So I was surprised when the State Working Committee heard that Benue State deliberated as to the dissolution.
“This is the first time I am talking to the press about this. Is this how to reward the people who sacrificed a lot to bring in the governor of Benue today? You can ask Alia himself, he has never given us a Kobo since he came in as governor. “