• Accuses Agada of attention seeking
From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Dr. Benjamin Omale, has accused his predecessor, Mr. Austin Agada of engaging in ‘sneak and snap show’ to gain unnecessary recognition before the public.
Chief Omale was reacting to some photographs circulating on social media, where the former chairman, Agada was seen posing with the APC national chairman, Alh Abdullahi Ganduje, purportedly at a party event.
A statement by Omale said the former chairman now specializes in sneaking anywhere the APC national chairman was holding meetings to stand behind him, take a snapshot and depart immediately.
The Caretaker Committee Chairman in the statement assured party members in the state that Mr. Agada was no longer the chairman of the party in the state after he was “relieved of his position, and in his place, the APC national leadership inaugurated a duly constituted Caretaker Committee, which I, Dr. Benjamin Omale, have been leading.
“And since our inauguration, we have successfully steered the party’s affairs, culminating in a landslide victory in the October 5, 2024 local government elections conducted by the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC). The party has remained strong, united and fully functional under our leadership.
“It is, therefore, deeply concerning and deceptive that Austin Agada has continued to parade himself as the Chairman of the APC Benue State, despite his removal.
“The latest in his series of misleading antics is his claim of attending a strategic meeting with the APC national leadership and North Central governors on February 11, 2025.
“We wish to categorically state that Agada was neither invited nor was there any meeting convened that warranted his presence.
“Normally, when a meeting of the North Central governors is convened, some state party chairmen accompany their governors. Due to an unavoidable engagement, I was unable to attend and had duly informed our governor and leader, Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia.”
Dr. Omale alleged that Mr. Agada got into the venue of the meeting, “took photographs, and is now using them to mislead the public. Such acts should not be tolerated.
“The Governor of Benue State was neither accompanied by Agada, nor did he acknowledge him in any capacity at their meeting.”
He urged members of the APC to remain calm and assured that “we are fully in charge. We have already notified the national leadership of this anomaly, and steps are being taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
“I appreciate the unwavering support of our party members, the APC national leadership, and our visionary leader, Governor Hyacinth Alia, in ensuring peace, unity and progress within the APC in Benue State. We remain committed to strengthening the party and delivering on our collective mandate.”
Efforts to reach the erstwhile chairman, Mr Agada, for comment were not successful as he did not answer calls made to his phone.