By Lanre Oloyede
The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has ordered members of its warring chapter in Benue state to discontinue and withdraw all ongoing cases filed in the name of the party or associated with it and involving members within the next 7 days.
The NWC in its resolution after a meeting with respect to the Benue state chapter signed by the APC National Secretary Sen. Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru on Thursday, said failure to comply with the resolution will be sanctioned by immediate suspension and ultimately expulsion from the party.
The resolution reads: “At its 146th Meeting held on March 20th, 2024, the National Working Committee of our great Party deliberated and resolved as follows:
“That all ongoing cases filed in the name of the Party or associated with matters concerning the Party and involving Party members must be discontinued and withdrawn from the courts within the next 7 days.
“That failure to comply with this resolution will result in disciplinary action being taken against any member responsible for such suits, including immediate suspension and ultimately expulsion from the Party.
“That it is crucial that all members of the APC Benue State Chapter adhere to this directive promptly. The unity and integrity of our Party must be upheld, and resolving legal matters internally is paramount to maintaining the cohesion and focus of the APC.”
This resolution came barely 24-hours after the Benue APC stakeholders and leaders led Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation Prof. Joseph Utsev and the Executive Director, Housing Finance and Accounts, Federal Housing Authority, Dr Mathias Byuan met behind closed doors with national leadership at the party’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
Benue APC has been in turmoil since the purported suspension of Austin Agada as the State Chairman which was upturned by the NWC and emergence of Benjamin Omakolo for the same position.
Also, a judgement by the Benue State High Court sitting in Makurdi had set aside the interim order restraining Agada from performing his functions as chairman of APC.
Nigerian Pilot learnt that there currently exists two state APC secretariat in the Benue state capital, Makurdi with Agada occupying the one which had served as the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), before the merger that produced APC while Omakolo operates the new one.
