The secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Makurdi, the capital city of Benue State, has been sealed off by armed policemen.
The affected party secretariat belongs to the faction led by Austin Agada, situated along JS Tarka Way opposite the Railway Market in Makurdi. Notably, there are two party secretariats in the capital, the other belonging to Benjamin Omakolo’s faction along Kashim Ibrahim Way.
According to Daniel Ihomun, the Publicity Secretary of the Agada faction, the sealing off of their secretariat appears linked to the planned inauguration of members of the zoning committee for the forthcoming local government election. Ihomun expressed dismay, stating, “We were scheduled to inaugurate members of the zoning committee for the upcoming local government election today at our secretariat, only for the government to deploy policemen and thugs to seal off the premises.”
Reportedly, police officers and an Armoured Personnel Vehicle were deployed to the Agada-led office as early as 6 a.m. on Friday. Efforts to obtain a response from the state Police Public Relations Officer, Catherine Anene, regarding the reason for the secretariat’s closure were unsuccessful as her phone was unreachable at the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the Agada-led faction had formed a 21-member zoning committee representing the three senatorial districts of the state, slated for inauguration on Friday. However, the Omakolo-led faction swiftly responded, issuing a statement through its Publicity Secretary, Terseer Agber, urging party members and the public to disregard the zoning committee constituted by the Agada-led faction.
The situation underscores the ongoing factionalism within the Benue APC, raising concerns about the potential impact on party unity and the upcoming local government elections.