Benue APC crisis: Ganduje in trouble over contempt of court

The political turmoil within the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has escalated as the dissolved Augustine Agada-led executive has taken legal action against the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, accusing him of contempt.

On Wednesday, a Benue State High Court had issued a restraining order against the APC National Working Committee (NWC), prohibiting them from dissolving the State Working Committee. Despite this court order, the APC leadership announced the dissolution of the Agada-led executive later that day, defying the court’s directive.

In response, Agada and eight other members of the dissolved executive filed a motion against Ganduje on Thursday, seeking judicial intervention for contempt. The motion, designated as No: MHC/1585/M/2024, requests the court to enforce compliance with the order that barred the removal of the executive committee until the completion of their four-year term.

According to an affidavit submitted by Agada’s counsel, M.T. Aiyebo, the court order was duly served to the Ganduje-led NWC and the party’s National Legal Adviser on Wednesday at around 4:00 p.m. Despite this, Agada claims that at 6:00 p.m. the same day, Ganduje’s NWC held a meeting and proceeded with the dissolution of the executive committee, appointing a caretaker committee in contravention of the court’s ruling.

The dissolved exco is now seeking punitive measures against the Ganduje-led NWC for their disregard of the court order, further intensifying the ongoing leadership crisis within the APC in Benue State.