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Confusion, controversy trail Benue APC Congress

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3 years ago

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Controversy is currently trailing the ongoing elective congress of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State.

This is just as some persons who claimed to be leaders of the party had earlier in a statement endorse Omale Omale as consensus  candidate for the chairmanship position.

The development is coming few weeks after the party had zoned the seat to Ogbadibo with Austin Agada as its consensus candidate.

However, a chieftain of the party in Benue South and former senatorial candidate, Daniel Onjeh in a statement claimed Omale is now the preferred candidiate.

Few minutes after his Facebook post, Onjeh again in a fresh statement on behalf of Senator Ameh Ebute Chief Audu Ogbeh, rejected what he tagged as UNFAIR AND UNLAWFUL ACCREDITATION OF PARTY DELEGATES.

His post read;

The Leadership of the APC in Benue Zone ‘C’ Senatorial District, on behalf of the entire party stakeholders from the zone, hereby rejects the unfair and unjust accreditation of delegates as being conducted by the state congress Committee.
Accordingly, we wish to state the following, as our conditions to the Hon. Abubakar Mohammed Luggawero-led Committee; for a fair, lawful and acceptable accreditation of delegates to the ongoing State Congress of the party slated for Saturday, 16th October, 2021:
1. The list of delegates that was generated here in Benue South and given to the Committee, is not genuine, hence unacceptable to us. The delegates’ list to be used for the election has to be that which was supplied from the National Secretariat of the party. Therefore, the Chairman of the Congress Committee, should note that he must provide and use, the delegates’ list that was given to his Committee from the National Secretariat of the party, for the assignment.
2. Secondly, it is only the party register that must be used for the accreditation of delegates. The congress guidelines stipulate in Page 6, under the heading: “Congresses Election Special Provisions”, thus:
i. The Ward Party Register/Nomination Forms shall serve as the Voter Register, while the Registration Slip serves as the Voter’s Card in each voting precinct.
ii. Candidates contesting for any post in the party must have INEC Voter’s Card.
3. So, the Committee must bring the party register at the ward level, as that is the only way we can verify who is a delegate and who is not. We are reliably informed that mischief-makers are gathering gangs of thugs and louts, to enter into the congress venue and serve as delegates. We don’t want anybody to claim to be a delegate, when such a person is not even a registered member of our party. Only registered members of the party are eligible to vote at the congress.
4. When people come for accreditation, their names must be ticked in the Voter Register, and the Voter Register kept safely, to serve as evidence in the event of any irregularity arising from the conduct of the congress.
5. In addition, the Committee should conspicuously publish the delegates’ list that they brought from Abuja, at the three accreditation centres. The Committee should equally allow the agents of the respective aspirants to monitor what they are doing, to be sure that it’s the genuine delegates that are entering into the congress venue.
These conditions have become necessary, because we can see from the onset that the Committee is not willing to conduct this congress in line with the extant laws guiding the process.
To begin with, the Committee didn’t publish the Voter Register, which is one of the conditions stipulated by the party’s congress guidelines. So, for all we care, this congress is a sham.
Unless the aforementioned conditions are strictly adhered to, we, the stakeholders from Benue South are not going to be part of it. Since the congress has fallen short of all credible standards, it should be called off outrightly. The National Secretariat will do the party much good, if it suspends this charade called state congress now, before it inflicts a deeper injury on the psyche of party faithfuls.
We are therefore urge all Benue Zone’C’ delegates to boycott the shambolic congress and return to their respective bases. It’s either the Committee respects our choice of consensus candidate, or they allow the National Secretariat to make the final decision.
It is noteworthy that from the onset, the party had adopted consensus, as its approach to the state congresses. We, the stakeholders from Benue Zone ‘C’, to which the Chairmanship position was earlier zoned, have broadly consulted, harmonized and declared our consensus candidate as Barrister Omale Omale.
Therefore, if the congress committee would not accept our decision of consensus candidate, but insists on conducting an election, then it must be prepared to conduct a free, fair and credible poll, starting from the accreditation of delegates. No fake delegates must be allowed to vote at the congress.
At the moment, we see various versions of alleged delegates’ lists being bandied around. We need to know first and foremost, who the genuine delegates to the congress are. We insist, that if the committee must organize an election, then it must avail all of us a level playing field, to test our popularity.
Finally, to be sure that there are no impersonators, the committee should bring the ward register, and match and cross-check it against the delegates’ respective Voter’/s Cards and Party Cards. It is only the party register that can confirm, who the true party members are in the first place, before talking about delegates.
Signed,
*For:* Benue Zone ‘C’ APC Stakeholders
*Senator Ameh Ebute*,
*Chief Audu Ogbeh*.

 

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