Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State on Thursday warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) faction, led by state Chairman Austin Agada, of impending consequences if they proceeded with their scheduled meeting at the party’s secretariat.
Our correspondent reports that the party’s secretariat along J.S Tarka road in Makurdi was on Thursday morning heavily besieged by security operatives and condoned off from both ends of the road by stick-wielding youths who diverted traffic into the railway station market axis.
Alia however in a statement by his spokesman, Tersoo Kula, denied knowledge of the APC State Executive Committee (SEC) meeting announced and widely publicised by the Agada’s faction scheduled for today (Thursday).
The statement read, “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.
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“The last time I checked, I am still the APC leader in the state. No APC meeting can be summoned without my knowledge. Not just that, as the Chief Security Officer in the state, I should know when a legitimate gathering is supposed to hold.
“Nigeria is not a lawless state and so is Benue State. Those who think they can undermine the authority of the state must know this and know peace.”
Recall that the APC in Benúe had been factionalised since January this year following their internal crisis which degenerated into the point that factions loyal to the governor are now popularly referred to as “masses” and those taking side with the Agada-led leadership are known as “stakeholders.”
The APC masses faction led by Benjamin Omakolo are backed by the governor with a secretariat located near the Government House in Makurdi, while the Agada’s faction allegedly has the support of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.
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