Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Nigerian Concord Newspaper can authoritatively report that the governor of Benue state, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia last week mounted pressures on the national working committee of the All Progressive Congress in Abuja to support the suspension of the embattled state chairman of the party in Benue, Austin Agada.
Recall that Agada was suspended by some of his Ward Executives in Ogbadibo local government over allegations of anti party activities. A petition by Chief Daniel Onjeh explained that Agada allegedly collected bribe from Senator Abbah Moro to help him win the last Benue South Senatorial election.
This however led to Governor Alia’s invitation of five members of Agada’s Ward. According to the Secretary of the Ward In a video that went viral last week, they were locked in a room at the Government House in Makurdi on the order of the governor for five days. He added that they were forced to sign an already prepared suspension notice of the Benue’s APC chairman. How however said that they were given N400,000 each.
“After Agada’s suspension, a court order to stop him from parading himself as Benue APC chairman was fraudulently obtained by the governor who immediately appointed an acting chairman in person of Mr. Benjamin Omakolo.
“At his inauguration last week, some members of the state executive committee of the party were forced to pledge their loyalties to him and all these they were doing to cut the influence of our national leader, SGF George Akume ” a top official of the party told our newspaper.
Meanwhile, Governor Alia had last week pleaded with the National Deputy Chairman North, Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori to affirm the sack of the suspended chairman but all efforts by the governor proved abortive as the NWC of the party stood behind their earlier resolution that Agada remains the authentic chairman of APC in Benue.