Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has issued a stern warning to the All Progressives Congress (APC) faction led by State Chairman, Austin Agada, cautioning them against proceeding with a scheduled meeting at the party’s secretariat.
This development comes as the state government commenced the excavation and reconstruction of the road in front of the APC secretariat, blocking its entrance with heaps of rubble.
Our correspondent reports that on Thursday morning, the APC secretariat on J.S Tarka Road in Makurdi was heavily guarded by security operatives. The road was cordoned off by stick-wielding youths who diverted traffic towards the railway station market area.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Tersoo Kula, Governor Alia denied any knowledge of the APC State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting that Agada’s faction had announced and publicised for Thursday.
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“The governor has therefore called off the purported meeting, warning that there will be consequences if any person or group attempts to disrupt the peace of the state by converging for any unauthorised meeting,” the statement read.
Alia asserted his authority as the leader of the APC in Benue, emphasising that no party meeting could be held without his approval.
The APC in Benue has been factionalised since January, with divisions deepening over internal crises. Factions loyal to the governor are known as the “masses,” led by Benjamin Omakolo, and are supported by a secretariat near the Government House in Makurdi. The opposing faction, led by Agada, is reportedly backed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
The latest blockade of the APC’s ‘Tinubu House’ marks the fourth of such incidents since the party’s troubles began. As of 5 p.m. on Thursday, tension remained high around the APC building, with a large crowd of mostly young people gathered at the site. Soldiers have also been deployed, and heavy-duty vehicles continue to work on levelling the short portion of the road from the NNPC filling station to the APC secretariat, which shares a fence with Zenith Bank.
The Agada faction has yet to respond to these developments. Attempts to reach Morgan Ihomun, the party’s Publicity Secretary, were unsuccessful, as calls and text messages to his phone remained unanswered at the time of filing this report.
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