Benue 2023: APC candidate risks disqualification, group raises alarm

Ahead of the Friday deadline which was given by the Independent National Electoral Commission, ( INEC) to political parties to submit the list of nominated candidates, a group in the All Progressives Congress has advised the party to drop Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia as its candidate in Benue State.

APC Solidarity Group, Benue state chapter in a statement alleged that
Vandiekya Local Government chapter where the APC candidate hails from has no record of membership with INEC.

It, therefore, maintained that Alia “is not a member of the state chapter of the party.”

The Benue state coordinator of APC Solidarity Group, Honourable Guana Joseph, accused certain leaders of the party of desperation to foist a non-APC member on them and in the process, wasting the party ticket at the general elections.

“We have with us the Certified True Copies of INEC’s response to an application by a law firm, Broad Spectrum & Partners, requesting certified true copies of the acknowledgement of receipt of hard and soft copies of the registers of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) from Benue State as submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“In its reply to the application signed by Barr. Ernest Olenyi, INEC revealed that out of the 23 local government areas of Benue State, the APC submitted the list of members in 21 local government areas.

“The two local government areas without its list of members are Vandiekya and Katsina-Ala local governments.

“The implication is that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has no validly nominated governorship candidate by the party as the local government area where Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia is from was not submitted in compliance with Section 77(2) & (3) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended).”
Nigerian Tribune checks revealed that
that the Benue state APC had zoned the Governorship seat to Jechira which comprises the Konshisha and Vandiekya Local government areas of the state.

But supporters of the APC governorship candidate have continued to insist that
Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia is from Vandiekya Local Government area where he registered as a member of the APC.

The APC Solidarity Group however said “Alia falls short of the three months membership waver, hence stand disqualified on the ground that there is no member of the party from Vandiekya Local government at all. The leadership of the party at the state level is aware of this development but the leader is mute about it.

The APC further called on the national chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu to intervene before it is too late.

“The National Chairman of our party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu should quickly resolve this issue before it is too late. We are sure that the state chapter is not ready to do the needful, based on some certain interest, it is unfortunate that APC in Benue is sinking before our very,

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