Facts have emerged on why the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue state may not have a governorship candidate in the 2023 election.
This is coming after a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and governorship aspirant, Chief Mike Aondoakaa, SAN, dragged the party to court over alleged irregularities noticed during the primaries that led to the emergence of the party’s flagbearer, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia.
The former Justice Minister had told the court in a suit against APC, Alia and INEC that contrary to the provision of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended), the register of members of Vandeikya and Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas of Benue State was not submitted to INEC.
Aondoakaa said that he became aware of the development when a law firm of Broad Spectrum and Partners applied to the INEC for certified true copies of the membership registers of the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, and New Nigerian People’s Party in Benue State that were submitted to INEC. He said thatin response to the application, INEC minuted a memorandum wherein it stated that the register of members of the APC in Vandeikya and Katsina-Ala Local Governments were not submitted. INEC’s memorandum was seen by AFRIPOST.
He argued that it then means that Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, whose name was not submitted to INEC cannot, therefore, claim to be a member of the APC, let alone emerging winner of the governorship primary of the said party.
Alia is from Vandekya Local Government Area of Benue State.
The former minister in his prayers wrote:
“1. That I know as a fact that by the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended), the register of members of a party are supposed to be sent to INEC at least 30 days before a party’s primaries
- That I know as a fact that Fr. Hyacinth Alia is from Mbadede Council Ward in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State
- That I know as a fact that the register of members of Vandeikya and Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas of Benue State was not submitted to INEC as only membership registers from 21 Local Governments out of the 23 Local Governments in Benue were sent by the APC to INEC
- That I became aware of the facts in the preceding paragraph above when the law firm of Broad Spectrum and Partners applied to the INEC for certified true copies of the membership registers of the All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, and New Nigerian People’s Party in Benue State that were submitted to INEC. The said application dated the 24th May, 2022 is hereby pleaded and hereto annexed as Exhibit.
- That in response INEC minuted a memorandum wherein it stated that the register of members of the APC in Vandeikya and Katsina-Ala Local Governments were not submitted. The certified true copy of the minuting made on 3rd June, 2022 as well as payment of certification for same on 7th June, 2022 are also hereby pleaded and hereto attached as Exhibit….
- That I know as a fact that for a person to be nominated he must belong to a political party and be lawfully registered as such and INEC fully intimated of the fact of registration by way of submitted registers as provided under the Electoral Act, 2022. This is so as independent candidacy is not known to our corpus juris.”
The winner of the APC governorship primary in Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, AFRIPOST observes is conspicuously missing from the APC register.
Besides the alleged irregularities in the governorship primary in the state, the ward congresses of the party were marred with violence and other irregularities, resulting in a call for a total cancellation of the exercise.