Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia yesterday said stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will not allow the selfish interest of some individuals destroy the party in the state.
The governor, who reflected on the efforts and sacrifices which secured victory for the party in the state said, “We will not allow any invader to come in and destabilise our party.”
Governor Alia stated this after a meeting with the State Executive Committee members of the party and some key stakeholders in zone C.
The meeting which held at the Government House Makurdi, directed Benjamin Omakolo, the APC welfare secretary in the state, to step in as the acting party chairman as requested by the stakeholders, pending the determination of the Court injunction which stopped Comrade Austin Agada from parading himself as state chairman.
The governor, who regretted the suspension of Comrade Austin Agada by his Ehaje ward 1 EXCO, following the court injunction restraining him from parading as the state chairman of the party, said he has faced so much pressure from the party stakeholders in Benue South Senatorial district also called Zone C, who recommended a replacement for the vacant position in order to keep the party away from crisis.
“With their recommendation, I have no choice than to direct Comrade Omakolo, the welfare secretary of the party in the state, to step in as the acting party chairman, pending the outcome of the court case instituted against Comrade Agada.”
He called on all party faithful in the state to continue drumming support for the party, saying APC is the only platform that has good plans to change the fortunes of Benue State and Nigeria as a whole.
But, in a swift reaction, the state publicity secretary of APC, Daniel Ihomun, in a statement, described the replacement as “another failed attempt to undermine the party leadership and Constitution by anti democratic agents bent on causing confusion within the ranks of APC in the state.”
According to him, “this action has no bearing whatsoever in the Constitution and precedence of the party and is therefore null and void, having no effect whatsoever on the party.”
However, the state organising secretary of the party, James Ornguga, commended the governor for heeding the cry of party stakeholders, saying the replacement has given the party a direction to follow.
In their separate remarks, the Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly, Aondona Dajoh; the secretary of the APC in Ogbadibo local government, Comrade Abba Isaiah; the APC chairman, Konshisha Aginde Daniel; as well as the state assistant legal adviser of the party in the state, Ajuma Success, commended the Zone (C) party stakeholders for choosing a trusted and worthy replacement to fill the vacant position and pledged the support him to succeed.
Accepting the new responsibility, the acting APC chairman, Comrade Omakolo, promised to unite the party and strategical position it to win more elections in the future.
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