Sacked Benue APC Exco sues Ganduje

The crisis rocking the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken a new turn with the disbanded members of the party’s state executive, led by Hon. Austin Agada, dragging the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to court for contempt of court.

THE LEADERSHIP says the Ganduje-led National Working Committee of the APC on Wednesday constituted and inaugurated a seven-member Interim Committee of the party’s Benue State chapter.

The Interim Committee, which is said to be a unity, has Hon. Benjamin Omale as Chairman, Professor Bem Angwe as Secretary and Hons. James Ornguga, Terhemen Ngbea, Helen Agaigbe, Ali Francis Adah and Richard Mzungweve as members.

This came on the same day the Benue State High Court ordered the APC not to remove the state chapter chairman, Hon. Agada, and his EXCO.

Consequently, Agada and eight others on Thursday approached a Benue State High Court and filed a contempt of court charge against the Ganduje-led NWC APC.

In the application number: MHC/1585/M/2024, the Benue executive council led by Agada asked the court to order Ganduje and the NWC to abide by the decision not to remove them from office until the expiry of their four-year term.

The dissolved Benue executive council also asked the court to impose penalty on the NWC for failing to comply with an earlier court decision.

Agada, in a statement filed through his lawyer, MT Aiyebo, insisted that the Ganduje-led NWC duly served the court order on Wednesday at about 4pm

He added that the service of the restraining order on the activities of the APC under Ganduje’s leadership was also carried out at the office of the National Legal Adviser at 4.02pm on Wednesday at the party’s national secretariat.

Agada in a statement expressed surprise that on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. Ganduje, the NWC he led convened a meeting at which it dissolved its executive committee and appointed an interim committee contrary to an earlier court order.

“That same evening at about 8pm, I saw on several television stations and in some other news media that the Benue State Working Committee of the respondent mentioned in the record had been dissolved by the respondent against whom the Honourable Court seeks leave,” he said.

The Court held: “This Honourable Court has passed an order in this matter on file on 21st August, 2024 against the Respondent. The Respondent on file is a juridical person who acts and carries out its activities through the Respondent against whom the Applicants seek leave of this Honourable Court to execute the order of this Court.

“The Respondent against the Applicants seeks leave of this Honourable Court to enforce the order against it, is the National Chairman of the Respondent as referred to in the record and the Head of the National Working Committee of the Respondent as referred to in the record.

“The order of this Honourable Court dated 21st August 2024 was duly served on the Respondents against whom leave was sought on the same day 21st August 2024.

“The respondent on record has failed to comply with the order of this Honorable Court. And any further orders this Honorable Court may deem appropriate to issue in the circumstances.”