Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Many have asked questions about why the Benjamin Omale-led Unity Caretaker Committee of the Benue State chapter of All Progressive Congress has not been dissolved by the National Working Committee of the party led by Alhaji Umar Ganduje.
Many also asked questions why the National Chairman of the APC, Alhaji Umar Ganduje chose to induct the chairman of the caretaker Committee, Chief Benjamin Omale into the Forum of the APC State Chairmen in Abuja instead of terminating the committee yesterday.
But a top member of the party’s National Working Committee who preferred not to be mentioned told this newspaper in a telephone chat this morning that the Ganduje-led National Working Committee is pleased with the mature and peaceful manner which Chief Omale-led Unity Caretaker Committee has been handling the leadership issue within the party in Benue state.
He recalled how the committee peacefully handled the last primaries and elections of the local government elections.
According to him, Chief Omale-led Caretaker Committee will continue to be operational since there has been no Congress that has produced a substantive state chairman for the party in the state.
He added that removing Omale at this critical period will leave a vacuum which may affect the peace building efforts of the Benue state chapter of All Progressive Congress under the leadership of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The NWC member pressed further that there is no need dissolving the existing Caretaker Committee of APC in Benue state and replace it with another since the Chairman and his members have been fulfilling their mandates by providing peace and unity in the party.
Asked if it was constitutional to continue to recognize Benjamin Omale as the state chairman of the APC in Benue state, the NWC member said that it was constitutional, noting that there is nothing like injustice regarding the sustained recognition of the chairman as performed by Alhaji Umar Ganduje while officially inducting him into the Forum of APC State Chairmen in Abuja yesterday.
According to him, Omale is known to the Constitution of the party and will continue to be the rightful occupant of the office till a Congress where a substantive state chairman is legitimately held.
He further noted that the fact that the National secretariat of the APC had appealed the justice Kume’s judgment in November last year has given a room for Benjamin Omale and his Unity Caretaker Committee to continue to perform their lawful duties until the matter is decided by the Supreme Court.
He said: “Don’t forget that we had filed a Motion for a Stay of Execution at the Benue State High Court and this means that the Kume’s judgement which has favoured the dismissed chairman of the party, Austin Agada will not be recognized until all windows to the case are explored.
“And until the Supreme Court which has the final decision on all litigations in Nigeria decides, the Kume’s judgement cannot be enforced.
“To butteress my points, Chief Omale has just been documented by Alhaji Tasiu Mohammed who is the APC National Director of Organization to attend today’s meeting at the National Secretariat of the party in his capacity as the State Chairman of APC in Benue state”