By Amos Aar
THE Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended Chief Barnabas Gemade and Prof. Terhemba Shija who contested against Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia in the last Benue State governorship election.
APC state chairman, Comrade Austine Agada, announced the decision of the party Wednesday at the party’s state secretariat in Makurdi at press briefing at the end of its meeting.
Comrade Agada alleged that Chief Gemade did not only work against the APC in the last election but also lost his polling unit, council ward and local government.
According to him, Prof. Terhemba Shija “took the party to court to the highest level, insisting that the party should not have a candidate as far as this party is concerned.
“They did not stop at that. Today, they are in connivance with the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure that our swept victory is frustrated.
At the meeting, Agada had moved a motion: “Those in support that Chief Barnabas Gemade and Prof. Terjlhemba Shija should be suspended and referred to the fact-finding and disciplinary committee say aye” and everybody in the hall responded to the affirmative while the nays did not have any support.
Gemade and Shija were therefore suspended and referred to the disciplinary committee with immediate effect.
The duration of the suspension will be dependent on the disciplinary committee according to the APC State Publicity Secretary, Dan Morgan Ihomun, who added his voice in an interview with newsmen after the pronouncement of the suspension by the chairman.
APC chairman in Konshisha LGA where Chief Gemade hails from, Hon. Matthew Msughter Hõn, who is also the chairman, Forum of APC Local Government Chairmen in Benue and Nigeria at large, on behalf of the APC local government chairmen and the 276 ward chairmen, passed a vote of confidence on the APC state chairman, Comrade Agada.
Although Comrade Solo Dzuah, the media aide to Chief Gemade, did not reply to questions sent to him, seeking his boss’ reactions, some APC members who were at the party’s state secretariat but were scared to raise their objections in the hall, told National Record on the condition of anonymity that the suspension of Gemade was not far from an alleged scramble for the position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and that the plot to suspend Gemade was allegedly instigated by Sen. George Akume who also has interest in the position according to the interviewees.
