Gubernatorial primaries: Hembe sends strong warning to Benue APC

One of the aspirants in the controversial gubernatorial primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State, Herman Hembe, has rejected the outcome of the exercise.

Hembe, a former lawmaker described the exercise which purportedly produced Fr Hyacinth Alia as its flag bearer as a charade that may not not stand in court.

Hembe, who is now the flag bearer of the Labour Party in Benue, in a strongly-worded letter to the leadership of the APC, warned the opposition party to stop fielding his name as a participant in their party activities.

The statement reads below.

It has become necessary, due to events of the past several weeks to address certain issues pertaining to my relationship with the All Progressives Congress, APC.

I won my first two elections to the House of Representatives in 2007 and 2011 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Shortly after my reelection for a second term in 2011, irreconcilable differences arose between the PDP in Benue State and I. As a result of those differences, I moved to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, one of the legacy parties that along with ANPP, CPC and new PDP merged to give birth to the All Progressives Congress in 2014. I was therefore a founding member of the APC and contributed immensely to the growth of the Party in Benue State.

It is not news that I initially sought to contest for the office of governor of Benue State in 2023 on the platform of the APC. I had hoped that the Party would provide a level playing field for all aspirants running for various elective offices to compete in credible primaries.

I thought that the Party would learn from its 2019 electoral fiasco in the State and avoid imposition of candidates on the electorate.

I thought candidates of the Party would be nominated fairly and freely either by the members of the party in a direct primary; or through elected delegates of the people in an indirect primary. I was prepared for either mode of election, having spent the last two years meeting with party officials, members and key stakeholders across the length and breadth of the State and communicating my message to them.

A message based on my track record of performance in previous responsibilities as well as my vision for the future of Benue as a State free from the multiple curses of godfatherism, greed and avarice.

Unfortunately, it became apparent that some stakeholders in the party were bent on achieving predetermined outcomes for all elective positions. Upon this realization, I gave notice to the Party, through my counsel, of my withdrawal from the gubernatorial primary of the APC. The notice, was served on the Party on the morning of 26th May 2022, several hours before the Party purportedly changed the mode of election from indirect to direct primaries. I followed up my notice of withdrawal from the race with notice of resignation of APC membership which was served on the APC Chairman of Mbake Ward, Konshisha Local Government. As at the time the perfidy being referred to as APC party primaries took place, I was neither an aspirant nor member of the Party.

Other than intentional mischief therefore, there is no basis for the handlers of APC in Benue State to continue fielding my name as a participant in their party activities. In the most ridiculous fashion imaginable, they allocated votes to me as it suited them in the shambolic exercise of 29th May, as well as the second episode termed “rerun” of 9th June 2022.

Following my withdrawal of both candidacy and membership of APC, I joined Labour Party to continue the search for a platform to offer myself as a viable alternative to the Benue people. This quest was rewarded with resounding victory when I emerged victorious as the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party at a free and fair primary conducted by the Party in Makurdi on 9th June 2022.

I consider it malicious and intentional mischief that the APC keeps listing my name as a participant in their perfidious exercises. This press statement is intended to bring the APC’s mischief to the attention of the public; and to dissociate myself from the Party and its purported activities. In addition to this press statement, I have instructed my solicitors to initiate legal action against the APC for their persistent and malicious falsehood against me.

While the APC continues to wriggle in the mortal spasms of self-inflicted wounds, we in Labour Party have commenced the process of mobilizing Benue people to chart a new course for our collective destiny. I am proud and honoured to be the arrowhead of this new beginning. And my message to Benue people is simple: faint not, help is on the way.