By Amos Aar
There is seeming confusion within the Benue State chapter of the All of the Progressives Congress (APC) following Wednesday’s release of a statement by the state’s Publicity Secretary, Dan Morgan Ihomun, that a rerun of the 2022 direct governorship primary election conducted in the state on the 26th May, 2022 was being conducted in some wards across the state.
According to the statement, the rerun was to be conducted in twelve local government areas; namely Kwande, Ushongo, Buruku, Konshisha, Ogbadibo, Agatu, Ohimini, Ado, Oju, Okpokwu, Obi and Apa.
But in a swift reaction to the statement, a guber aspirant on the platform of the APC, Chief Barnabas Gemade, through his Director of Media and Publicity, Comrade Solo Dzuah, described the rerun as a “mischief”.
According to Gemade, Mr Ihomun failed to “produce a documentary evidence of that instruction claimed to have been issued by the National Working Committee of the APC.
“My Principal has personally contacted the National Secretariat of the APC in Abuja to confirm his claims and the party has categorically denied that no such directive has been given, and it is simply a mischief by whoever has originated such action.
“The election appeal panel that sat in Makurdi on the 30th May, 2022 chaired by Princess Uzoama reported that no election was held in the state and recommended the cancellation of it.
“It’s so surprising that even the illegal one that took place two days after and signed by the Secretary, Gyang Dung Gyang, and one other person said elections were perfectly conducted without hitches, so which of the panels report that indicated that elections had problem in the state and specifically twelve [local] governments that it has ordered for a rerun without the approval of the party’s national body?”, the statement partly reads.
The statement added: “I wish to let the Publicity Secretary to note [sic] that in politics you don’t manufacture initiatives, but real facts to deal with the circumstances on ground.
“This action of the party’s publicity scribe in Benue is totally a mischief, and how people who are not enlightened, but choose [sic] to be dubious dabble in things or outings they have little or no knowledge about, not thinking of the outcome or how the public may judge them tomorrow.
“Further, the National Secretariat of the party has indicated that when the evidence of the Publicity Secretary’s action is presented to the National Secretariat, he would risk sanctions [sic] as an insubordinate elected state officer of the party.
“I therefore, urge Mr Ihomun to immediately issue a statement retracting his steps or he won’t escape the disciplinary action that awaits him”.
Meanwhile, efforts by our correspondent to confirm if the rerun held on Wednesday proved abortive. Many members of the party contacted by National Record said they were not aware of any rerun election. They also wondered why a rerun would be fixed on a day major stakeholders of the party would in Abuja for the party’s Special National Convention!
