in Abuja

As the crisis rocking the Benue state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) continued unabated, a group, Forum of APC Support Groups’ Leaders, has called on President Bola Tinubu and the national chairman of the party, Dr. Abdulahi Ganduje to immediately intervene.

The call was made by the Director-General of the forum, A.K Peters, while addressing a press conference  yesterday in Abuja.

Peters recalled that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, acting on the powers of National Executive Committee (NEC) dissolved the Benue State Executives and constituted a unity caretaker committee in February 2024, to bring an end to the crisis in the party.

He explained that following the inauguration of the Caretaker Committee, the former state chairman, Austin Agada went to court to challenge the decision of the national leadership of the party.

The forum stressed that the dissolved Exco went ahead and forwarded a list of candidates to the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) challenging the leadership of the party. 

It, however, alleged that the Chief Judge of Benue State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese, has clearly taken side with the dissolved executive to undermine Tinubu and Ganduje’s leadership.

The forum said it had  on  good authority that Ikpambese has relocated the Benue State Local Government Elections Petition Tribunal from Makurdi to Abuja, after allegedly granting a waiver to the petitioners not to pay security deposit as required by the law, citing hardship in the land.

It maintained that there was no section of the constitution or laws of Benue State that empowers the Chief Judge to grant waiver  to the petitioners or move a local government tribunal from the state of jurisdiction to Abuja.

It said: “We understand that the ongoing crisis in Benue is as a result of the decision of the NWC acting on the powers of NEC which changed the leadership of the party in Benue State and the party must wade in to defend its decision by maintaining party supremacy as enshrined in our constitution. 

“We strongly call on the national leadership of the party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to immediately wade into the pending danger and threat to democracy in Benue State.

“It is now clear that there is an attempt to truly undermine the party’s national leadership and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Benue State Chief Judge who has abandoned justice for trivial sentiment.

“We strongly call on the national leadership of the party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to immediately wade into the pending danger and threat to democracy in Benue State.”