Akume loyalists sue Ganduje over Benue APC exco dissolution
The dissolved executives of the Benue State All Progressives Congress have dragged the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, to court for dissolving the exco despite a court order contrary to the action.
The PUNCH reports that following a protracted crisis in the Benue APC, the party’s National Working Committee, on Wednesday, announced the dissolution of the Austine Agada-led executives, loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
In its place, the NWC immediately inaugurated a seven-man caretaker committee to take over the affairs of the party at the state level for six months.
The development happened hours after the Agada-led exco obtained an ex parte order of the Benue High Court, stopping the dissolution of the exco.
A copy of the ex parte order granted by Justice Theresa Igoche in a motion marked MH /1585m/2024 stopped the Dr Abdullahi Ganduje-led NWC from sacking the Agada-led State Working Committee until the expiration of their four-year tenure.
On Thursday, the Agaba-led exco expressed displeasure with the action of the NWC, saying it violated the court order.
They, therefore, dragged the party’s national leadership to court to challenge the action.
In the motion marked MHC/1585/M/2024, the Agada-led exco prayed the court to compel the party leadership to adhere to the court decision not to remove them from office until the expiration of their four-year tenure.
They also begged the court to issue a punitive measure against the NWC over its disobedience to the earlier restraining order.
Agada, in the affidavit, expressed surprise that in the evening of Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 6pm, the Ganduje-led NWC held a meeting where he went ahead to dissolve his executive committee and appointed a caretaker committee against the earlier court order.
“That I saw on several television stations that same evening about 8 pm and several other news media that the Benue State Working Committee of the respondent on record has been dissolved by the respondent against whom the leave of this Honourable court is sought,” the affidavit read.
When called for a reaction, the National Deputy Organising Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, confirmed sighting the earlier restraining order but couldn’t clarify if the party had been served the new court paper.
Duru, however, declined to speak further on the issue.
He said, “I have not seen the contempt proceedings. But I have sighted the court order restraining the NWC and the party from dissolving their exco. However, lawyers know what they should do.”
The Benue chapter of the APC has been in crisis with Governor Hyacinth Alia and Akume, fighting for control.
While Agada leads the Akume’s faction of the party, Benjamin Omakolo was the acting chairman of the Alia faction.
Last week, Alia allegedly sealed the secretariat of the party’s faction loyal to Akume, stopping the faction’s scheduled meeting.
