The Benue South APC Justice and Equity Movement, has alerted the party’s national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, of impending crisis in the area.
In a letter signed by its Coordinator and Secretary addressed to Oshiomhole, the APC North Central Zone and the APC Leader in Benue state, Sen. Geroge Akume, the group alleged that a minister was trying to substitute names of elected flag bearers with his cronnies.
According to them, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh, was planning to plunge the party into crises by trying to manipulate the list of authentic candidates.
Spokesperson for the group, Akor Ikwuoche, who disclosed this yesterday during a mild protest at the entrance of APC National Secretariat in Abuja, warned that Ogbeh’s attempt to illegally change the elected candidates across the zone would lead to trigger protest votes against the party in next general elections.
“We, the entire members of Benue South APC Justice and Equity Movement hereby cry out to you for help to salvage the degenerating station in Benue South Senatorial District where the honourable Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh is busy substituting names of elected party candidates with names of persons who never participated in the primary election.
“The primary elections were conducted under a free and fair atmosphere between September and October under the watchful eyes of the electoral committees, the party’s executives, the security agencies, INEC observer teams and all critical stakeholders in the process and winners emerged for the various constituency seats contested for.
“We are surprised however that after winners have emerged and names were submitted to the appropriate authority by the electoral committees, the honourable Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, returned from overseas, called a meeting of few persons and announced to them that he is substituting names of most of the candidates because they were not his first choice.
“This announcement by the minister threw the entire APC family in Benue south into serious confusion and anger. This is because when the primary elections were going on, the honourable minister was faraway in overseas and he did nothing to support the party and its activities in Benue and Benue south in particular.
“The current attempt by the honourable minister to illegally change the elected candidates across Benue south for his selfish interest shall further engender disenchantment among the party faithful and that will ultimately trigger protest vote against our party in next general elections.
“We hereby appeal to your excellency to call the honourable minister to order and ensure that all those candidates that won the primary elections are allowed to go for the general elections as the party’s candidates in 2019”, the letter stated.
