The leadership crisis afflicting the Benue state chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC assumed a fresh twist on Thursday as the dissolved state executive members of the party led by Hon. Augustine Agada dragged the party’s National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to court for disobedience of the Court order.
A Benue state High Court had on Wednesday stopped the Ganduje-led National Working Committee NWC from dissolving the state chapter executive led by Agada but late on Wednesday, the NWC went ahead to dissolve the said state exco in disobedience of the court order.
Agada, alongside eight others on Thursday, however, approached a Benue State High Court to file contempt charges against the Ganduje led National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC.
In a motion on notice no: MHC/1585/M/2024, Agada led Benue exco prayed the court to compel Ganduje-led NWC to adhere to the decision not to remove them from office until the expiration of their 4 years tenure.
The dissolved Benue exco also prayed the court to issue a punitive measure against the Ganduje-led NWC over the disobedience of the earlier decision of the court.
Agada, in an affidavit deposed to by his counsel, M.T Aiyebo, insisted that the Ganduje-led NWC was duly served the order of the court on Wednesday at about 4pm.
He added that the service of the order restraining the APC under Ganduje was also served at the office of the National Legal Adviser at 4.02pm on Wednesday at the party’s national secretariat.
Agada, in the affidavit, expressed surprise that in the evening of Wednesday, 21st August 2024, at 6pm, Ganduje-led NWC held a meeting where he went ahead to dissolve his executive committee and appointed a caretaker committee against the earlier court order.
“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.”