Nigerian Concord Newspaper
As the battle for the exalted governorship seat in Benue State gets thicker ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume has reportedly presented the embattled Chief Judge of the state, Maurice Ikpambese to the Labour Party as the party’s possible governorship candidate.
Akume reportedly presented Ikpambese to the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Mr. Lamidi Apapa at a meeting held in his Maitama residence yesterday as the candidate he wishes to face the All Progressive Congress if the ruling party’s ticket gets into the hands of Governor Hyacinth Alia next year.
The LP national chairman too, according to sources has agreed to the proposal as a way to compensate the SGF for helping him to ensure that the Supreme Court sacked Mr. Julius Abure yesterday .
However, Senator George Akume has been criticized on why he is sponsoring Labour Party against his own party, the All Progressive Congress which gave him the exalted seat of the SGF.
At the meeting, Akume told Lamidi Apapa that he will not open his eyes and allow Governor Hyacinth Alia win a reelection in 2027 since he (Akume) has the funds, power and influence to nominate another candidate in another party to tackle the governor.
Akume is said to be nursing an idea that Ikpambese will contest the 2027 governorship election under the platform of Labour Party if he is actually forced to resign by the National Judicial Council, NJC as a result of the petition that has been sent against him for active partisanship, frauds and financial misappropriation.
This, many observers see as a way to compensate Mr. Maurice Ikpambese for his loyalty and supports to Senator Akume to ensure that all the presiding judges at the Local Government Election Petition Tribunal are bought over to rule in favour of the opposition parties by upturning the victories of the All Progressive Congress.
Recall that there has been a running political war between Governor Hyacinth Alia and Senator George Akume over who controls the All Progressive Congress in the state.
A source who spoke on the development during a chat with journalists said: “The crisis started few months after Governor Hyacinth Alia assumed duties as the governor of Benue state.
“It started when Akume tried to impose his own ally, Mrs Becky Opine as the Speaker of the Tenth Assembly but Governor Alia was faster by ensuring that Dajoh Aondoana emerged as the speaker during the election. The governor also ensured that the selection of Principal Officers of the Benue State House of Assembly wasn’t manipulated by the SGF”
Also recall that it was during this crisis that two factions of the APC emerged in Benue and operated two parallel Secretariats. Austin Agada led the Senator George Akume faction while Benjamin Omakolo led the governor’s faction.
Unable to make both factions work together in one Secretariat, the National Working Committee of APC led by Alhaji Umar Ganduje unanimously dissolved the Austin Agada-led State Executive Council and inaugurated a Unity Caretaker Committee led by Chief Benjamin Omale. According to the NWC, the Omale-led Unity Caretaker Committee was to operate for six months.
However, at the end of the six months, the National Working Committee issued a circular to renew the tenure of the Unity Caretaker Committee led by Chief Benjamin Omale.
“It was when they realized that they won’t be able to control the structure of the party in Benue state again that they decided to push
Mr. Ikpambese forward to run for the 2027 governorship under the platform of the Labour Party, and we are pleading with President Bola Tinubu to critically look into the case of his SGF from All Progressive Congress that is now working with Labour Party to overthrow an APC governor” a stakeholder of the party who preferred not to be mentioned stated.