Benue Crisis: APC Stakeholders Give Gov Alia Condition To Support His Administration

The All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Benue State have given conditions to support the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia.

Naija News reports that this comes amid the internal leadership crisis rocking the party, birthed by the struggle for control of the party’s structure in the state between Governor Alia and former governor of the state, George Akume.

The crisis took a new turn during the weekend when security operatives reportedly engaged the State APC executive led by the embattled chairman of the party, Comrade Austin Agada and other stakeholders.

The stakeholders had insisted on holding their scheduled meeting to receive Matthias Byuan, who had just secured a federal government appointment facilitated by Akume.

This was despite a directive by the state governor, banning all political gatherings in the state over security situations.

However, in a meeting held at the residence of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Akume, in Makurdi, which ended on Monday morning, the stakeholders unanimously agreed to continue queueing behind Akume as leader of the party in the state.

The stakeholders vowed that Governor Alia would not get their support until he recognised Akume as the leader of the party in the state.

Also, addressing the stakeholders during the meeting, Byuan expressed disappointment with Alia over the accusation of being responsible for the physical violence at the party’s secretariat on Friday alongside other party stakeholders.

He added, “I was just coming home to show you (stakeholders) the letter of the appointment that the SGF facilitated for me.

“We were driving straight to the party office when some youths came and fought us, but our youths overpowered them and entered the secretariat before police started to shoot tear gas”.