The stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State have given conditions to support the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia.
The stakeholders vowed that until the governor recognizes the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume, as the leader of the party in the state, he (Alia) will not enjoy their support.
This is coming amid the internal leadership crisis rocking the party.
DAILY POST reports that the crisis was birthed by the struggle for control of the party’s structure in the state between Governor Alia and Akume, former governor of the state.
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 Dr. Matthias Byuan, who had just secured a federal government’s appointment facilitated by Akume.
This was despite a directive by the state governor, banning all political gatherings in the state over security situations.
However, the stakeholders in a meeting held at the SGF’s residence in Makurdi which ended on Monday morning, unanimously agreed to continue queueing behind the Akume as leader of the party in the state.
While addressing the stakeholders during the meeting, Byuan expressed disappointment with Alia, stating that the governor went on air to finger him alongside other party stakeholders as those responsible for the physical violence at the party’s secretariat on Friday.
He explained that “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”.