Benue APC youth leader, others arrested for threatening Sen Gemade, Aondoakaa, Shija

The police in Makurdi, Benue state have arrested the youth leader of the state chapter of All Progressive Congress, Mr. Tertindi Sado Adom and four others for threatening the lives of aggrieved governorship aspirants of the party.

The aggrieved aspirants, Chief Barnabas Gemade, Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa SAN and Professor Terhemba Shija had last week written a joint petition to the Police Authorities to report a case of threats to their lives and properties by the detained Adom.

Recall that Adom at a meeting in Makurdi two weeks ago stated that the Minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs, Senator George Akume had instructed him to organize some youths in the party to burn down properties belonging to the three aggrieved aspirants who are in courts to challenge the candidacy of Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia as the flag bearer of the party in next year’s governorship election.

Before they approached the court, the aggrieved aspirants had complained before the party’s appeal panel which declared the primaries that produced Alia as null and void.

The panel chairman was quoted as saying that the primary was a “Yahoo Yahoo Primary election” and then order that it should be nullified and fresh one conducted.

Also, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC had recently said that primaries weren’t held in seventeen local government areas while six local government areas had no voters register.

The development led to threats of life by Senator George Akume through the party’s youth leader in the state, Adom, who said at a meeting which had the attendance of Father Hyacinth Alia, Simon Shango, Jack Gyado, Alhaji Muazu Bawa Rijau and stakeholders of the Benue State APC that, houses belonging to the aggrieved aspirants would be burnt down within a stipulated time which they had to withdraw their cases from courts.

The police last week wrote a letter to Austin Agada, chairman of the APC in the state to produce Adom for a criminal investigation, a development which has led to the arrest and detention of the suspect and his men who planned the attack on the properties of the three aggrieved aspirants.

(Credit: Margaret Orhii)