Benue APC faction threatens parallel congress

A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has threatened to conduct a parallel congress on Saturday if the national leadership of the party does not intervene in the contentious issues bedevilling the state chapter of the party. The faction, under the umbrella of Concerned Makurdi Stakeholders allegedly loyal to APC’s governorship […]

A faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has threatened to conduct a parallel congress on Saturday if the national leadership of the party does not intervene in the contentious issues bedevilling the state chapter of the party.

The faction, under the umbrella of Concerned Makurdi Stakeholders allegedly loyal to APC’s governorship candidate in the 2019 election, Barrister Emmanuel Jime, told newsmen Thursday in Makurdi that they would not fold their arms while some people within the party imposed “their stooges” in the coming ward congress.

Spokesman of the group, Akaa Imo, alleged that the leadership of the party in the state under the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, had hijacked and monopolised the APC structure to the extent that even in Jime’s constituency, his followers had not been allowed to follow due processes of producing consensus candidates.

“If APC national secretariat does not intervene, a parallel congress will be held on Saturday. If Akume and his cohorts are not called to order, the value of APC in Benue will crumble,” he said.

But reacting, the Special Adviser to Akume on Media and Public Affairs, Dr. Aondona Mkor, dispelled the claims.

“The ward congresses have not yet started, so where does the issue of hijacking come in here? That completely is an act of mischief and of course, it’s malicious because it’s like setting the cart before the horse,” he said.