The crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State may not end soon as the leadership of the party and supporters of Governor Hyacinth Alia continue to engage in a war of words.
Both factions had claimed there were no cracks on the wall of the APC in the state, but utterances from both sides have proven otherwise.
It’s believed that a bitter rivalry exists and that the crux of the matter lies on the doorsteps of the governor and his “godfather”, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, over the control of the party structure in the state.
Alia had said there was no rift between him and Akume, and the SGF has been mute about the matter while his foot soldiers insist that all is not well. Both men were even sighted together at the SGF’s Makurdi residence during his birthday celebration on December 27.
A chieftain of APC in the state, Philip Agbese, representing Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency, confirmed the rift between the Benue caucus in the National Assembly and Gov Alia.
The National Assembly caucus believed to be loyal to Akume had penultimate week taken a swipe at the governor at a press conference in Abuja before their return to Benue for the SGF’s birthday ceremony.
Agbese, while fielding questions from journalists in Makurdi, alleged that the disagreement between the federal lawmakers of Benue origin and Gov Alia was based on his failure to fulfill campaign promises to the electorate.
He said, “Yes, there is a rift. If this disagreement between us and the governor on policy issues and party manifesto does not in any way suggest there is a rift, then I wonder what is rift. But if I still understand English, there is a major disagreement between us and His Excellency, the Governor of Benue State, which he is very much aware of and he has continued to pretend over the issue.”
Spokesman of the governor, Tersoo Kula, however, dismissed the allegation raised by Agbese, saying his principal had demystified governance to the admiration of the electorate.
It was reported that despite the allegations and counter allegations over the battle being currently fought on all fronts by the loyalists of the “big men”, one thing which political observers believe that the tussle is about who controls the soul of the party in the state.
The first trace of trouble in the thinking of many is not unconnected with the over N3bn missing fund which is believed to be the leftover of the party’s campaign fund for the state.
Also, the emergence of the House of Assembly’s speaker formed a major disagreement in the APC family after the governor’s choice, Hyacinth Aondoana Dajoh, emerged against the SGF and the state’s party executive anointed Becky Oprin.
