Reconcile or face consequences, APC stakeholders warn pro-SGF faction
By Omeiza Ajayi
ABUJA: Concerned stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State have urged members of the Benue Strategic Alliance to reconcile with the party or face disciplinary action for alleged anti-party activities.
The stakeholders, who spoke after a meeting in Abuja on Thursday, said the APC constitution applied equally to all members, regardless of their position, history or influence within the party.
The Benue Strategic Alliance comprises APC members regarded as loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume.
Convener of the Concerned Benue APC Stakeholders, Dr Dominic Alancha, said he had previously opposed Governor Hyacinth Alia’s re-election bid based on what he described as personal and other interests.
He, however, said the stakeholders had changed their position in the interest of the party.
“We have come to change our way because the party is supreme and as a loyal party man, the bigger party interest must be respected,” he said.
Alancha said the stakeholders could no longer remain silent over developments within the Benue APC which, according to him, threatened the unity, stability and electoral prospects of the party.
He said the party was “too big to be held hostage to the personal ambition of an individual or group of persons acting as God.”
According to him, the group was aware of activities by some members associated with the Benue Strategic Alliance which he alleged could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election prospects in Benue and the country.
“Nobody has the right to turn personal disagreement into a campaign against the APC itself,” he said, adding that such conduct would amount to anti-party activity punishable under the APC constitution.
Alancha maintained that Alia was not a private individual but the elected governor of Benue State on the platform of the APC.
He also alleged that some aggrieved members were forming alliances with smaller political parties in an attempt to weaken the governor’s administration.
The APC stakeholder, however, said the Alia administration’s record in office provided grounds for the governor and President Tinubu to seek fresh mandates in 2027.
He said the stakeholders would campaign for the re-election of both leaders while defending the record of their administrations.
Alancha also extended an invitation to members of the Benue Strategic Alliance and other groups outside the recognised party structure to return to the party, saying there was still time for them to present their grievances to the appropriate organs of the APC at the state or federal level.
He, however, warned that members who chose to engage in anti-party activities would have to face any disciplinary measures provided for under the party’s constitution and rules.
“The APC constitution applies equally to big man or small man, leader or follower, elected official or party activist,” he said.
Alancha called on the relevant party authorities to monitor activities capable of undermining the APC in Benue and take action where violations were established, in accordance with due process.
He also urged elders, leaders and stakeholders in the state to place the party’s interests above personal considerations and avoid actions that could give political opponents an advantage.
The convener appealed to Governor Alia to remain focused on governance and “leave the politics of distraction to those who have chosen that path.”
He also urged the APC leadership to uphold the supremacy of the party’s constitution and ensure that no individual was regarded as bigger than the party.
The stakeholders maintained that no individual, faction or personal ambition was bigger than the APC, declaring that the party and the interests of Benue should come first.
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