3 killed in Benue APC zonal meeting fracas

THREE members of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in Benue State were reportedly  killed and several others wounded in the fracas that trailed   the party’s senatorial caucus meeting, held in Otukpo, on Friday.

Otukpo is the  headquarters of Benue South senatorial district.

According to a Sunday Tribune source, the fight broke out between  some boys believed to be loyal to the state chairman of the party, Abbah Yaro and one of the members  of the House of Representatives eyeing the senatorial seat currently been occupied by Senate David Mark.

Sunday Tribune further gathered  that the fracas resulted in the death of the three persons, including a  pastor, (names witheld) while several other party faithful were seriously wounded.

APC stalwarts, who spoke with Sunday Tribune, in  Otukpo, accused the state party chairman for the clash.

“He boasted that he must be returned to office whether the party members like it or not, that if it means using force, he will use it to achieve his ambition.”

But the chairman of the party, Yaro, said that the fight did not emanate from the meeting, saying that  the zonal meeting went on smoothly and ended successfully.

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He noted  that some members of the party from the zone had planned to disrupt the meeting but said despite such plans, the meeting went well.

He added, “some people in my senatorial zone do not want me back as the state chairman of the party, even when the entire zonal leadership of the party in the state has endorsed me for a second term.

“People like a member of House of Representative, who just decamped from PDP to APC, is now fighting me and causing this problem among the  members.

“The member who had declared at the floor of the House of Representatives in Abuja that he wants to vie for Benue South senatorial seat and has refused to declare his intention at home here because he is not popular, is going about with boys to cause chaos in the party.”

“However, from what I gathered, the fight that led to the death of these people started  on  the street of Otukpo, the day before the zonal meeting was held and l was not there,” Yaro stressed.

Supporting the chairman, the  APC state director of publicity, Apeh Peter, stated that there was no fracas, not to talk of killing during the caucus meeting.