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Benue APC Group Begs Party To Drop Fr. Alia As Guber Candidate

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An APC group in Benue state (Solidarity group), on Tuesday, called on the state chapter of the party to drop Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia as the governorship candidate of the party to avoid the risk of the party’s disqualification at the governorship poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Group in a protest statement alleged that Vandiekya Local Government chapter where the APC candidate hails from has no record of membership with INEC.

According to them, Fr. Alia was not a member of the state chapter of the party and should be disqualified.

The statement signed by the group coordinator, Honourable Guana Joseph, accused some leaders of the party of desperation to impose a non-APC member on them and in the process, wasting the party’s ticket at the general elections.

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“We have with us the Certified True Copies of INEC’s response to an application by a law firm, Broad Spectrum & Partners, requesting certified true copies of the acknowledgement of receipt of hard and soft copies of the registers of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) from Benue State as submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“In its reply to the application signed by Barr. Ernest Olenyi, INEC revealed that out of the 23 local government areas of Benue State, the APC submitted the list of members in 21 local government areas.

“The two local government areas without its list of members are Vandiekya and Katsina-Ala local governments.

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“The implication is that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has no validly nominated governorship candidate by the party as the local government area where Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia is from was not submitted in compliance with Section 77(2) & (3) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended),” the group justified.

The APC group also alleged that Fr. Alia falls short of the three months membership waiver, hence stands disqualified on the ground that there is no member of the party from Vandiekya Local government at all. They alleged that the leadership of the party at the state level was aware of the development but chose to be mute about it.

They called on the national chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu to intervene before it is too late.

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“The National Chairman of our party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu should quickly resolve this issue before it is too late. We are sure that the state chapter is not ready to do the needful, based on some certain interest, it is unfortunate that APC in Benue is sinking,” the statement further read.