Ahead of 2027 general elections, the national leadership of all the support groups of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the party’s National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to urgently wade in to the ongoing judiciary crisis in Benue State to avoid pending danger and threat to democracy.
The APC support groups also raised alarm that opposition political parties may hijack the crisis to frustrate performance of APC government in Benue state and target President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of 2027 general elections.
Addressing a press conference, Thursday at the national secretariat of APC in Abuja, the support groups, led by its Director General, Dr. Ak Peters, insisted that the decision of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee must be respected by all party faithful.
Recalled that the NWC had acted on the powers of National Executive Committee (NEC) desolved its Benue State Executives led by Hon. Austin Agada, and constituted a unity caretaker committee in February 2024, bringing to an end, the waring factions within the party in Benue state.
However, the former state chairman went to court to challenge the decision of the NEC over the desolation of Benue State chapter and the inauguration of the unity caretaker committee.
While reacting to the development, the support groups leader said: “As the forum of support groups leaders, we are disappointed that the former chairman went to court to challenge the party against the party’s constitution which states that members must exhaust all internal mechanism to resolve an issue before going to the court, yet, the National leadership is just watching.
“We understand that the ongoing crisis in Benue is as a result of the decision of the NWC acting on the powers of NEC which changed the leadership of the party in Benue State and the party must wade in to defend its decision by maintaining party supremacy as enshrined in our constitution.
“We strongly call on the national leadership of the party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Dr Abdullahi Umar Gandje to immediately wade in to the pending danger and threat to democracy in Benue State.
“We strongly observe that the Benue State Chief Judge is being used by the opposition not only to frustrate our performing government in Benue state but also a direct attack on our amiable President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of 2027 general elections. Therefore, our party leadership and the presidency must take a stand now before some anti-democratic forces and enemies of our party hijack the ongoing evil plot.
“We stand by the decision of the party and the confidence reposed on Mr. President and our National Chairman at the just concluded NEC of our party.
“We insist that Mr. President must save democracy as the decision of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee must be respected by all party faithful.”
While condemning the actions of the Benue State Chief Judge, the APC support groups said: “We have it in good authority that the Chief Judge of Benue State has relocated the Benue State Local Government Elections Petition Tribunal from Makurdi to Abuja after granting a waver to the petitioners not to pay security deposit as required by the law, citing hardship in the land.
There is no section of the constitution or laws of Benue State that empowers the Chief Judge to grant waver to the petitioners or move a local government tribunal from the state of jurisdiction to Abuja.
“Lawyers have started arguing that any decision taken by the tribunal in Abuja is null and void as an election conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission can only be entertained in the state.
“The Chief Judge in his circular cited security reason, meanwhile he has been going to his office amidst his purported removal by the Benue State House of Assembly without any security threat.
“The Benue State government which is the funder of the tribunal also issued statement insisting that the government of the State is not aware of the relocation and assured the public that it could provide adequate security for the tribunal.
“The Chief Judge, who acted altra vires when he favoured the petitioners whose petition were to be dismissed also emphasised on hardship in the land in a bid to blackmail President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration while protecting the petitioners. The same Chief Judge has relocated the whole tribunal from Benue State to Abuja even though he has no powers to do so.
“The question is between the relocation of the tribunal which means transporting and accommodating lawyers and witnesses to Abuja and the security posit to be paid in to the court, which is more a burden to the people?
“It is now clear that there is an attempt to truly undermine the party’s national leadership and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Benue State Chief Judge who has abandoned justice for trivial sentiment.”
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