Benue: I ceased to be APC member since May 26 –Hembe, LP guber candidate

Governorship candidate of Labour Party for Benue State, Herman Hembe, said he had ceased to be a member of the APC since May 26, 2022.

The third term federal lawmaker representing Konshisha/ Vandeikya constituency, who made his defection to LP known in a statement, said as a frontline governorship aspirant under APC, he had prepared so well for the challenge and was ready to go to the field to slug it out with other contestants in a free and fair primary.

“Unfortunately, it became apparent that some stakeholders in the party were bent on achieving predetermined outcomes for all elective positions. Upon this realisation, I gave notice to the party, through my counsel, of my withdrawal from the gubernatorial primary of the APC. The notice was served on the party on the morning of 26th May 2022, several hours before it purportedly changed the mode of election from indirect to direct primaries. 

“I followed up my notice of withdrawal from the race with notice of resignation of APC membership which was served on the APC Chairman of Mbake Ward, Konshisha Local Government. As at the time the perfidy being referred to as APC party primaries took place, I was neither an aspirant nor member of the party.”

He explained further that “other than intentional mischief therefore, there is no basis for the handlers of APC in Benue State to continue fielding my name as a participant in their party activities. In the most ridiculous fashion imaginable, they allocated votes to me as it suited them in the shambolic exercise of 29th May, as well as the second episode termed “rerun” of 9th June 2022.  Hembe revealed that after withdrawal of both his candidacy and membership of APC, he joined LP to continue the search for a platform to offer himself as a viable alternative to the Benue people.