Politics
Benue APC Crisis: Court Sacks Gov Alia Backed Acting State Chairman
Published
1 year agoon
By
Editor
The recently suspended Benue State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Austin Agada has been reinstated by a Makurdi High Court presided over by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Maurice Ikpambese.
Recall that Mr Agada was earlier in the month suspended from office by another Benue High Court in Aliade presided over by Justice Lilian Tsumba following an ex parte motion filed by Mr Moses Agaba against him and the APC after his Ihaje Ward I Executive in Ogbadibo Local Government Area, LGA, had passed a no-confidence vote on him and also suspended him for alleged anti-party activity.
The suspension was immediately followed by the inauguration of Mr. Benjamin Omakolo from Igoro Ward, Apa LGA as the acting State Chairman during a State Executive Committee meeting of the party presided over by Governor Hyacinth Alia.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: LG Chair, Man Arrested For Attempted Assassination Of Benue Speaker
However the crisis in the party took a dramatic turn Monday when Justice Ikpambese reinstated Mr. Agada while ruling on a motion by the embattled chairman seeking to set aside the interim order restraining him from parading himself as Chairman.
After listening to the arguments of counsel to Moses Agaba, Mr. Johnson Usman, and that of Innocent Daagba, who appeared alongside Richard Ayilla, George Ushongo, Daniel Sorkaa and John Ifer who appeared for Mr. Agada, Justice Maurice Ikpambese vacated the order restraining him from parading self, function and acting as the Chairman of the APC in the State.
Justice Ikpambese ruled that “under Order 39, rule 3 of the Benue State High Court Procedure Rules, 2023, the lifespan of an interim order is seven days, and since the order was issued on February 2, 2024, it has elapsed by law.”
Justice Ikpambese nullified the appointment of Benjamin Omakolo as acting Chairman and any other appointment made from February 2, 2024.
READ ALSO: Benue by-election Witnesses Low Turnout
He accordingly struck out the motion seeking to set aside the interim order of February 2, 2024, as “it has been overtaken by events.”
The matter would be assigned to another Judge by the Chief Judge who would hear it on its merit.
Reacting, the APC State acting Chairman, Mr. Omakolo dismissed the reinstatement of Mr. Agada saying “whether the order restrianing him (Agada) from parading himself as the Chairman is vacated or not the fact that he has been suspended by his Ward still places a ban on him to be able to function as APC Chairman in Benue State.
“And it will interest you to know that in the court ruling today no matter concerning my person or role as the acting Chairman was mentioned.
“So, I still remain the valid acting State chairman of the APC in Benue State. I remain the one who pilots the affairs of the APC in Benue State and the APC family takes instructions and directives from my office as the acting Chairman of APC in the State.
“And even that wrong vacation that was done in the High Court has already been appealed. The person that took him to court has appealed the judgement because it is not correct in law for a High Court to restrain another High Court, a court of coordinate jurisdiction. I have long assumed office as the acting Chairman of APC in Benue State.”
You may like
Many Feared Dead In Fresh Benue Attack
FULL LIST: Lagos PDP Spokesman, Others Join APC
Edo Senator, Neda Imasuen Defects To APC, Says LP In Shreds, No Direction
Ex-APC Presidential Aspirant Berates NWC, Govs For Endorsing Tinubu
Defect With Me To APC Or Resign, Gov Eno Tells Commissioners, Others
Court Orders APC Served Hearing Notice In ₦10m Refund Suit
Politics
VIDEO: How Peter Obi Betrayed Me – Kenneth Okonkwo In New Interview
Published
20 hours agoon
June 14, 2025By
Editor
Veteran actor and ex-spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Kenneth Okonkwo, has accused former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, of betrayal in the wake of internal party disputes.
In a viral interview with Symfoni which started trending on Saturday, Okonkwo, who officially exited the Labour Party in February 2025, revealed that Obi went against his advice and returned to support the embattled Julius Abure-led faction of the party, despite alleged warnings.
According to him, Obi was misled by LP executives who claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission had recognised them.
He said, “Any politician that knows what he’s doing cannot be betrayed by another. If there is anybody that betrayed the other, I can say it emphatically that Peter Obi betrayed me.
READ ALSO: Nigeria No Longer A Democracy, Peter Obi Laments
“The Julius Abure-led LP members lied to Obi that the Independent National Electoral Commission had accepted them and Obi surreptitiously went back to them but I told him: ‘Sir, you have made a public statement on integrity and even if INEC has accepted them, that is not a criterion for you to go back and start dealing with them because they have shown that they are not democratic. If you go back to them, they will destroy your political career and everything you have said about integrity will die.’”
He said that despite privately urging Obi not to align with a group he described as “undemocratic” and “agents of the government,” Okonkwo said Obi went ahead to publicly endorse them.
“I told Obi that these people had become agents in the hands of the government to destabilise him. What they did was absolutely illegal and unconstitutional, I told him that if he went back to them, I wouldn’t join him in doing so.
“Thereafter, I called all the people that were in the inner circle and told them the same thing about what Obi was trying to do. I told them he wanted to go back with the Abure people and if he did, I wouldn’t go back with him because I do not swallow back my words.
READ ALSO: Teen Who Stood In Front Of Peter Obi’s Convoy Freed After Months In Kirikiri
“And after saying all those things, within like 72 hours, Obi went back to Abure’s office to publicly endorse them and while he was there talking to them, one of the leaders in that executive sent me the video to mock me that the person I was fighting for against them has come to their office to endorse them.
“It was when INEC dissociated itself from Abure that Obi came out to start acting neutral but I told him he could not be neutral and something had to be done,” he added.
The Labour Party has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis, with opposing factions laying claim to the party’s national structure.
The Abure-led faction has faced allegations of financial mismanagement and anti-democratic practices, which critics say contradict the party’s reformist image.
Okonkwo, a known loyalist of Obi’s political ideology, cited these irregularities as his reason for quitting the party earlier in the year.
Watch video below:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1933867577651925202https://twitter.com/i/status/1933867577651925202
Politics
Amaechi Slams Tinubu’s Policies In Fresh Outburst
Published
3 days agoon
June 12, 2025By
Editor
Former Minister of Transportation and two-time governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has asked the coalition opposition to kick President Bola Tinubu out of office if Nigeria is to escape its deepening economic crisis.
In a no-holds-barred interview with the BBC, Amaechi, a founding member and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, lamented the country’s deteriorating condition and signalled his willingness to help forge a new opposition coalition to rescue the nation.
“People are dying. People are starving. I myself am feeling the effects of hunger,” he said, painting a grim picture of life under the current administration.
Amaechi’s statement comes in the wake of the APC’s recent endorsement of Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for 2027, a move Amaechi openly questioned.
READ ALSO: I Don’t Want To Join Issues With Children, Amaechi Hits Back At Wike
While reiterating his loyalty to the party, he warned that fidelity to a political platform should never come at the cost of national conscience.
“If the government is failing the country, you don’t just go along because you’re in the same party. You know that’s not right,” he stated emphatically.
Though he stopped short of confirming a 2027 presidential bid, the former minister said the option remained on the table.
“Certainly, I believe I can make a meaningful contribution,” he added, hinting that his political journey may not yet be over.
READ ALSO: Democracy Day: Gov. Mohammed Advocates Unity, Good Governance
He spoke of widespread poverty, spiralling food insecurity, and daily tragedies that now dot the national landscape.
Reflecting on his years as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Amaechi lamented that the number of out-of-school children then pegged at 10 million, had since ballooned.
The economic hardship, he said, had also deepened insecurity.
“The Boko Haram insurgency is not just a religious crisis. Many of those involved are driven by desperation and hunger,” he asserted, linking terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping to a broader socioeconomic collapse.
Amaechi’s declaration added momentum to an emerging political realignment.
Talks were already underway among key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, as they explored the possibility of a unified front against Tinubu in 2027.
Even ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and once a key Tinubu ally had signalled interest in backing an opposition alliance.
But as opposition forces stir, the ruling party continues to absorb defectors, prompting fears of Nigeria drifting toward a one-party state, a scenario Amaechi warned could undermine democracy and silence dissent.
“We’re thinking that if we come together and win the election, the country will certainly witness change,” he said, suggesting an urgent need for a credible alternative.

A student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s with the overall best graduating CGPA of 4.98, Chizoba Ejiofor, has secured a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship.
Education advocate and tech entrepreneur Alex Onyia, who made this known on social media on Thursday, said he had taken responsibility for supporting Ejiofor after the university failed to award him the promised N50,000 prize for academic excellence.
“I have a good news. A very good news. You remember Chizoba Ejiofor, who graduated as UNN overall best graduating student with CGPA of 4.98, that UNN refused to fulfill the N50k price promised to him?
READ ALSO: Crisis Brews In UNN As Court Restrains Varsity From Conducting Convocation Election
“I took him up as a full responsibility. We started working tirelessly together since last year to secure a fully funded scholarship, and today we have the good news,” Onyia wrote.
Onyia revealed that Ejiofor was awarded a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship, valued at over £33,000. The package includes tuition, flight tickets, and monthly stipends.
“This is fully funded scholarship from Commonwealth. Over 33 thousand pounds in scholarship, flight tickets and monthly stipends inclusive. No one can describe how happy and fulfilled I am today,” he added.
- Netanyahu Says Israel’s Strikes On Iran Have ‘Clear Support’ Of Trump
- US Lawmaker Shot Dead, Another Wounded In Targeted Attack
- Diplomat, Wife Injured In Iran Strikes On Tel Aviv
- Tension Heightens As UK Moves Warplanes To Middle East Amid Iran, Israel’s Heated Crisis
- US-Iran Nuclear Talks In Oman Cancelled
- Okpebholo Launches 1bn Interest-free Loan For Edo Traders
- Open Letter To The Speaker, Parliament Of The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide
- Outrage As Port Harcourt Realtor Strips Female Birthday Celebrants Naked At Nightclub
- Reps To Quiz Edun, Cardoso Over Non-compliance With Fiscal Responsibility Act
- Again, NiMet Predicts Three-day Thunderstorms, Rain From Saturday
About Us
Trending
- Metro4 days ago
JUST IN: Drama As Oshiomhole Shuts Down Lagos Airport’s Zulu Terminal After Missing Flight To Abuja [VIDEO]
- Metro4 days ago
Air Peace Lambasts Oshiomhole For Unruly Conduct, Assaulting Staff, Barricading Terminal Entrance At Lagos Airpor
- Politics5 days ago
JUST IN: Seek True Peace To Avoid Impeachment, Rivers APC Tells Fubara
- News4 days ago
Okomu Community Commends 4 Brigade For Sustenance Of Peace, Wants FOB Established In The Area
- News4 days ago
OPINION: The Elephant Must Beware Of The Red Carpet
- Headline4 days ago
19-year-old Nigerian Artiste Beaten To Death In Ghana
- Metro4 days ago
Natasha: Appeal Court Strikes Out Akpabio’s Motions, Imposes N100,000 Fine
- News3 days ago
After Knocks, Presidency Apologises For Wrongly Naming Fasoranti, Madunagu In Posthumous Honours List
- News3 days ago
FULL LIST: Tinubu Confers National Honours On Kudirat Abiola, Soyinka, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Others
- News4 days ago
Roche Diagnostics Launches Operations in Nigeria, Reinforces Commitment to Expanding Access to Quality Healthcare