BREAKING: Fresh Crisis Rocks APC
The struggle for control of the Benue chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) intensified over the weekend as the dissolved executive, led by Honourable Austin Agada, conducted primaries in preparation for the upcoming local council elections in the North Central state.
According to a statement from Agada’s media office, the primaries, which resulted in the selection of 23 chairmanship and 276 councillorship candidates, were held across all ward headquarters in the 23 local government areas of the state.
Reports gathered by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that last week, the party’s national secretariat inaugurated a seven-member panel chaired by Honourable Benjamin Omale, despite a ruling by Justice Theresa Igoche of the Benue State High Court, which restrained the Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led National Working Committee from removing Agada as Chairman.
Further investigations revealed that the Benue State APC had been deeply divided before the inauguration of the Caretaker Committee, with factions aligning either with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, or with Benue State Governor, Reverend Hyacinth Alia. Agada remains loyal to the SGF, while the faction led by Benjamin Omakolo aligns with Governor Alia.
During the inauguration of the Caretaker team, Ganduje expressed deep concerns about the ongoing power struggle in the state, emphasizing that his leadership is committed to restoring peace.
Commenting on the primaries held over the weekend, Honourable Samuel Atsuku, who participated in the Tarka Local Government election, credited the success largely to the dedication of party stakeholders in the area.
He extended his gratitude to the people, especially party loyalists, for maintaining peace during the process.
Similarly, the APC Party Chairman of Guma Local Government, Honourable Lazarus Asema, praised the peaceful nature of the primaries and commended the state APC leadership for their effective organization.
Efforts to reach the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Barrister Felix Morka, for comments on the next steps from the Ganduje-led NWC were unsuccessful.
