From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Alhaji Umar Ganduje has urged the party in Benue state to remain peaceful and united as the state is home to APC.
The party leadership in the state and Governor Hyacinth Alia on one hand and the Caucus of the National Assembly with the Governor on the other hand have been in conflict for some time.
In the wake of the crisis, APC National Assembly members called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene to save the party from misrule of Governor Alia.
Speaking at the commissioning of the remodelled State Secretariat of the party named as Tinubu House on Wednesday in Makurdi, Ganduje stressed that unity is the only way the party can forge ahead and focus on development of the state
“Be united as it is the only way we can continue to forge ahead. APC is the custodian of a new agenda under President Tinubu and with the earlier pronouncement that APC is not business as usual, we are changing the narratives in Nigeria.
“Previously, political parties only become active during electioneering campaigns, but in APC, we have decided to make APC active throughout the campaigns and because of that we have designed a template, a blueprint that all our political party offices right from ward level, local government level, state level, zonal level, national level be made habitable, functional and operational across 8,803 wards of this country.
“Benue is home of APC. APC went on sabbatical leave but it is back in the state.
“Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation, (SGF) occupied by your son Sen. George Akume is the backbone and chief implementer of government policies. The Governor a Reverend gentlemen, so simple and agreeable”
“So by this short sermon, you are confirming to us that you have accepted this directive that has been given by our great party.
I am so happy to see this secretariat being renovated, rehabilitated and decorated to this level, and I thank you for naming this APC Secretariat Benue State as Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu house. I also thank you for naming the conference hall after my name,” he said.
Former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha commended leader of the APC in the state and SGF, Senator George Akume for ensuring that the party structure works to achieve the existing unity in the party.
He further commended the leadership of the party for acquiring a befitting secretariat that houses different activities of the party “and you can see that with this the benefits of democracy will continue to flow into Benue State now that you have stabilized and entrenched yourself within the dimension of progressive politics.
Mustapha urged the Benue APC to keep supporting the President because and the SGF to ensure that he attracts a lot of dividends of democracy to the state, if you distract him, those dividends will not come so keep supporting him.
The APC Chairman in the state, Comrade Austin Agada said the APC in the state is solidly behind the Tinubu’s administration to enable him succeed as the country is in dire need of someone that would lift it out of poverty.
He said before the general elections, APC in the state had a few members in both the state and National Assembly but emerged victorious after the election with President Bola Tinubu winning massively alongside two out of three senators, members of the House of Representatives, State Assembly and the governor also won by the APC.
“Today, Benue is totally APC and we vow to remain behind the Ganduje-led APC and president Tinubu-led administration.”
Agada also commended the SGF for donating the secretariat building to the party, and the NASS caucus for supporting the funding of the secretariat saying the party will not relent in its support to Akume to succeed in the task of carrying out the policies and programmes of the President Tinubu’s administration.
He also appreciated the President for appointing a Benue man as SGF, a reason that informed the idea to name the secretariat after the president.