Nigerian Concord Newspaper
For three years, the political battle within the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been viewed largely as a power struggle between Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume. However, recent developments suggest that what appears on the surface to be a contest for party supremacy may have far-reaching legal and political consequences.
The crisis took a deeper turn earlier this year when the two camps conducted parallel state congresses and produced separate state chairmen of the APC.
The Akume-aligned faction returned Austin Agada as chairman, while the camp loyal to Governor Alia elected Benjamin Omale. The existence of two chairmen, two congresses and two competing claims to legitimacy once again exposed the extent of the division within the ruling party in Benue State.
Yet, beyond the political drama lies a more critical question: what happens when a party is unable to agree on who legitimately controls its structures?
This question has become even more significant because of a Court of Appeal judgment delivered in June this year (2026). The appellate court affirmed the Austin Agada-led State Executive Committee and upheld an earlier decision nullifying the dissolution of that executive by the APC National Working Committee.
More importantly, the court sustained the consequential order declaring that all activities of the Benjamin Omale-led caretaker committee were “null, void and of no effect whatsoever.”
That judgment has now become a major reference point in the ongoing struggle for the control of APC in Benue State.
Political observers say the significance of the ruling goes beyond who occupies the office of state chairman. Party structures determine who organizes congresses, who compiles delegate lists, who supervises primaries, who certifies party decisions and, ultimately, who participates in producing candidates for elections.
In practical terms, control of party structures often translates into influence over the processes that determine who gets nominated for public office. This is where the matter becomes particularly sensitive.
A group of concerned APC stakeholders is reportedly examining the legal implications of the Court of Appeal judgment and the continuing parallel structures within the party.
The concern is not merely about who controls the APC today, but whether the nominations of candidates for various positions including that of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s ticket, arising from disputed structures could become vulnerable to legal challenge.
Recall that candidates loyal to Governor Alia whose nominations were later overturned by the APC National Working Committee, prominent among them former Benue Governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, are already in court challenging the decision of the party’s NWC.
At the heart of the debate is a fundamental legal question: if a court has declared certain party structures or activities invalid, what becomes of political processes that are linked to those structures?
While no court has yet been asked to determine that question in relation to any future governorship nomination, the issue is increasingly becoming a subject of discussion among lawyers and political actors in the state.
Nigeria’s electoral history provides numerous examples where internal party disputes that were initially dismissed as routine political disagreements later evolved into major legal battles affecting nominations and candidacies.
Indeed, some of the most dramatic electoral outcomes in the country’s democratic history have emerged not from general elections but from disputes over congresses, delegate lists, party executives and primary elections.
It is against this backdrop that the Benue APC crisis is attracting heightened attention.
The conduct of parallel congresses after a Court of Appeal judgment affirming one faction’s leadership is likely to raise further questions about authority, legitimacy and compliance with party regulations.
For Governor Alia, the issue is not that any court has declared him ineligible for election. No such judgment exists, yet.
However, political observers have noted that prolonged uncertainty over party structures can create complications for any political figure seeking re-election. Even where litigation ultimately fails, the process itself can consume time, resources and political capital. Alia in particular, has been accused of wasting over N100 billion of Benue taxpayers’ money to fight for APC structures in the last three years.
What is clear, however, is that the struggle for the soul of the APC in Benue is no longer just a political contest. It is increasingly becoming a battle fought simultaneously in the arenas of politics, law and party administration.
As preparations begin for the 2027 electoral cycle, the unanswered questions surrounding party nominations and internal legitimacy may prove to be among the most consequential issues confronting the ruling party in Benue State.
What is not in doubt is that Benue’s resources will surely go into the fight for the soul of APC.
If the group threatening to drag Governor Alia to court over his “nomination” makes good on its threat, the governor may have every reason to lose sleep.
Credit: The Analyst