The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State took a dramatic turn for the worse on Monday as two powerful factions within the party drew battle lines, vowing to hold parallel state congresses on Tuesday to elect new executives.
The development has formally split the party in the state into two warring camps, one loyal to the state Governor, Hyacinth Alia, and the other aligned with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
This escalation follows a series of disagreements that had previously led to parallel ward and local government congresses across the state.
Governor Alia’s faction, which recognizes Chief Ben Omale as the State Chairman, has insisted on going ahead with its own state congress.
In a statement issued on the eve of the exercise, the faction’s Organising Secretary, James Ornguga, declared that all arrangements had been finalized.
“Ahead of tomorrow’s state congress, Chairmen, secretaries and members of the APC Congress committees sent to Benue state from the APC National Headquarters met with INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Sam Egwu, and his team to fine-tune arrangements,” Ornguga stated.
He confirmed that the faction loyal to the Governor would hold its congress at the IBB Square in Makurdi, commencing at 11:00 a.m., and called on members to turn out en masse.
In a direct counter-move, the faction loyal to the SGF, led by its State Chairman, Comrade Austin Agada, also confirmed it would proceed with its own parallel congress. The faction’s State Publicity Secretary, Daniel Ihomun, announced the constitution of a central planning committee and various sub-committees to oversee the process.
“In line with the constitutional guidelines for the conduct of nationwide congresses as approved by the National Working Committee of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Benue State Working Committee of the APC under the leadership of Comrade Austin Agada, has constituted a central planning committee and relevant sub-committees to ensure a seamless, transparent, and successful state congress,” Ihomun said.
He disclosed that the committee would be headed by a former Ambassador, Prof. Iorwuese Hagher.
The simultaneous announcements have set the stage for a chaotic exercise, as both groups claim to be the legitimate structure of the party. The development is a significant embarrassment for the APC, highlighting a deep-seated rift between two of its most prominent figures in the state.
As of press time, the national leadership of the APC had not issued any directive to call either faction to order, leaving party members and security agencies in a state of uncertainty ahead of Tuesday’s parallel exercises.
Political observers fear the outcome could lead to a prolonged legal battle, further destabilizing the party in Benue State ahead of future elections.
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