A fresh leadership crisis has erupted within the Benue chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after members loyal to the Governor, Hyacinth Alia, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, clashed over materials for the party’s ward congresses.
The face-off, as gathered, could result in a parallel congress within the party after supporters of both APC chieftains lay claim to a certain percentage of the congress materials for the state.
It was learnt that the factions were trying to determine where and when the congresses would be held in the state, in order to have a better number of elected officials.
The APC had scheduled its ward congresses nationwide for February 18, 2026, but on Tuesday, preparations in Benue were overshadowed by disputes over the materials for the congresses.
The rift, which dates back to the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, has polarised the state chapter with Alia’s supporters recognising Ben Omale as the legitimate state chairman, while the Akume-aligned bloc insists that Austin Agada remains the authentic party leader in the state.
Tensions escalated further after Dickson Tarkighir, a member of the House of Representatives representing Makurdi/Guma Federal Constituency, aligned with the Akume camp, announcing that the congress materials for Benue had been released to his faction.
He shared a photograph of the materials and called on party members to participate in the exercise.
The claim was, however dismisses by the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Alfred Emberga, saying the documents being circulated were not authentic, alleging that the forms were not officially issued.
Similarly, Alia’s social media aide, James Asortar, maintained that the legitimate congress materials had been received by their camp, further deepening the confusion.
With both factions insisting they are in possession of the authentic documents, concerns are mounting over the possibility of parallel congresses in the state.
