Nigerian Concord Newspaper
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume has been accused of creating tensions in the Benue state chapter of All Progressive Congress because of his quest to hijack the party structure in preparation for his rumoured 2027 presidential ambition.
This accusation was made by the Benue Rebirth Movement in a press statement issued to journalists in Makurdi this evening.
Benue Rebirth Movement was reacting to a statement credited to the Benue APC National Assembly Caucus led by Senator Titus Zam where they accused the state governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia of rejecting every peace move being made by the party at the national level as well as the Presidency to reconcile him and the SGF.
According to the group, Senator George Akume is using his men at the National Assembly to paint the governor with a black ink even when he knows that his plan is to form a parallel government in the state in order to ease his ambition to be president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2027.
Benue Rebirth Movement said that the press conference which was addressed by members of the Benue APC National Assembly Caucus was an indication of the SGF’s anger because he was unable to use the National Working Committee of the party in Abuja as well as the newly constituted Unity Caretaker Committee of the party in Benue state to make Governor Alia allow him to be in control of ten out of the twenty three local government areas in the state.
The group commended the governor for not attending the meeting where the fate of President Bola Tinubu’s reelection was going to be discussed and ruined by the SGF.
Benue Rebirth Movement wondered how a meeting which was not attended by two governors as well as the Senate President because they were aware of the agenda to divide the government of Benue state into two was described by the National Assembly Caucus as a peace meeting by President Tinubu.
Recall that this newspaper had reported that peace may not reign between Alia and Akume over the former governor’s plan to hijack the leadership of the party from the governor.
It was also gathered that Governor Alia has vehemently rejected plots by Senator Akume to create a parallel government in Benue state.
According to sources, immediately the National Working Committee of the party led by Umar Ganduje inaugurated the Benjamin Omale-led Caretaker Committee, the SGF presented his demands to the UCC where he demanded that Governor Alia should allow him take charge of ten out of the twenty three local government areas of the state.
Akume reportedly told the Unity Caretaker Committee that he wanted to be allowed to nominate the chairmen, vice chairmen and councilors for all the seven local government areas in Zone B, his Senatorial Zone as well as three local government areas in Zone C namely Otukpo, Oju and Agatu.
He however told the Caretaker Committee that he was ready to abide by the decision of the NWC if the governor accepted his demand.
The chairman of the Caretaker Committee, Omale gave no favourable answer, an action that prompted Senator Akume to re-present his demand to the Ganduje-led NWC. They threw out the demand, saying that their mandate was to ensure that there was peace in the Benue state chapter of the party.
According to sources at the APC national secretariat, the rejection from the APC National Working Committee led by Ganduje made Akume to orchestrate a meeting in the name of President Bola Tinubu where he himself, the senate president Godswill Akpabio, governors of Imo and Nasarawa, the national chairman of APC, Umar Ganduje, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and some ministers were to attend.
Governor Alia too was to attend the meeting which was held last week but one of his Aides who preferred to remain anonymous said he didn’t attend because of his ill health and a medical advice by his physician to stay away from the public at that time.
Meanwhile, credible sources told this newspaper that the Senate President, the governors of Imo and Nasarawa refused to attend the meeting immediately they were briefed about the agenda which was for Akume to hijack Benue APC structure and as well force Alia to let him nominate candidates for ten local government areas in the forthcoming local government election.
One of the sources said:”With Senator Akume’s latest demand which he wanted to force on the governor, we can now agree that he is not satisfied with his exalted position as the SGF. It had been reported many times that he has an ambition to run for the 2027 presidential election hence his desire to take over the APC structures in some North Central states including Benue.
“Why does he want to share Benue state into two and act as a surrogate governor while Alia performs his duties as an elected governor on the other hand. Why are some APC-controlled North Central states remitting funds to him monthly if not that he is gathering these funds to enable him run against the president in 2027.
“Has anyone ever heard that two governors rule a single state at the same time. So why should Alia allow Oga (Akume) take charge of ten local governments in the state where he was elected as governor”