The ongoing rift within the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) escalated on Tuesday, with two rival factions—aligned to Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume—holding separate state congresses and producing parallel executive committees.
Governor Alia’s faction conducted its congress at IBB Square in Makurdi, where Benjamin Omale was re-elected as state chairperson. Meanwhile, the Akume-led faction convened at a different venue in Makurdi and reaffirmed the Austin Agada-led executive committee for another four-year term.
The National Working Committee (NWC) election committee supervised the congress and screening of aspirants. Additionally, the Congress Screening Appeal Committee, headed by Mohammed Danbata and Secretary Umar Abubakar, invited aggrieved aspirants to submit petitions following the screening process.
The seemingly protracted crisis may have reached a turning point, as the APC national secretariat has reportedly recognized Governor Alia’s faction, marking what insiders describe as a political setback for SGF George Akume. A source close to the party’s national secretariat told Observers Times that the party intends to uphold the “doctrine of governors as leaders,” with exceptions for states like Rivers that enjoy special status.
In a related development, Federal Lawmaker Hon. Philip Agbese, representing the Ado, Okpokwu, and Ogbadibo Federal Constituency and serving as Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, has defected from the APC to the Labour Party. The defection underscores growing discontent among some APC members loyal to Akume amid the Benue crisis and a further proves that secretary to the government of the federation has lost controls of the party structure in the state
