Nigerian Concord Newspaper
President Bola Tinubu has finally reacted for the first time since the internal crisis within the Benue State chapter of the All Progressive Congress started.
Recall that both the governor of the state, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia and his estranged political godfather who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume have been at loggerheads over the leadership of the party in Benue state.
The crisis started when the State House of Assembly was about to choose a Speaker for the Tenth Assembly. While SGF George Akume had used the party leadership in Makurdi to annoint his political ally, Becky Orpine, the governor was rooting for Mr. Aondona Dajoh.
Both Dajoh and Orpine had a tie during the first ballot which began with a physical fight between the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Paul Biam and the embattled chairman of the party in the state, Comrade Austin Agada.
Aondona Dajoh defeated Becky Orpine in the second ballot with the influence of the state government delegation led by Paul Biam.
Also, the party had also sent some names of APC lawmakers to the speaker as principal Officers but the list was turned down as the speaker announced some lawmakers that are loyal to the governor as the principal Officers of the Tenth Assembly.
Immediately after this, the battle of who controls and leads the APC in Benue state began between Alia and Akume. Austin Agada was suspended by his Ward Executives in the process and Benjamin Omakolo was inaugurated as the acting chairman of the party in the state. He has been acting in a secretariat which is recognized by the state government till today.
Last month, the Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse invited both Akume and Alia to a meeting of the Tiv tradition council in Gboko for a peace deal. Both leaders of APC in Benue state promised that there would be no more fight between them but the peace deal failed a week after when the political families of both of them took to the media to begin a fresh political war.
The Gboko peace deal collapsed and both Alia and Akume continued to shun themselves. While the SGF would not attend any public function that Involves Reverend Father Alia, the governor too wouldn’t attend any public function involving Senator Akume. Their media handlers too have continued to attack their respective principals since the Gboko peace deal failed.
Meanwhile, Nigerian Concord Newspaper gathered this evening that President Bola Tinubu who had been briefed about the internal crises that have almost killed the All Progressive Congress in Benue state has broken his silence over the matter.
According to Hon. Teslim Mamora who is one of the Aides of the president’s Chief of Staff, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, the president who has been “very” restless over the Benue APC crises invited Senator George Akume where he advised him to do everything to stop the rumoured defection of the governor from the party to another party.
According to Mamora while hinting our reporter over the outcome of the meeting between Tinubu and Akume this evening, allowing Governor Alia to leave the APC at the time the president is making all efforts to do two terms as president won’t be an option.
He added that the president had directed Akume to quickly unite both factions of the party led by Agada and Omakolo so the party can operate under one state executive committee.
According to the president, the chance of the party to win any election in the state in the future is bad as there is no way they can have a good electoral outing with a divided house.
The president was quoted as saying that Senator Akume must do everything within his power for Alia to remain an APC governor.
Recall that the immediate past governor of the state, Chief Samuel Ortom PhD left the party in the build up to the 2019 general elections when the high-handedness of the SGF who was a senator at that time became unbearable.
Also recall that Ortom’s exit from the APC in 2018 gave the People’s Democratic Party an upper hand to win the presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state assembly elections in 2019 even though the country was being controlled by an APC president.