APC Benue dissolved exco drags party NWC to court for contempt

Less than 24 hours of dissolution of Benue State All Progressives Congress (APC) Working Committee and inauguration a caretaker committee, the crisis rocking the party took a new dimension as the sacked Augustine Agada-led committee dragged the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to court for disobedience of the Court order.

A Makurdi High Court on Wednesday gave an order restraining the APC NWC from dissolving the Benue state chapter executive led by Agada, but on the same day the party’s highest administrative organ went ahead to dissolve the said state exco in disobedience of the court order.

Agada, alongside 8 others, on Thursday, however, approached a Benue State High Court to file a contempt charge against the Ganduje led NWC of the APC.

In a motion on notice no: MHC/1585/M/2024, the applicants prayed the court to compel Ganduje-led NWC to adhere to the decision not to remove them from office until the expiration of their 4 years tenure.

The dissolved Benue exco also prayed the court to issue a punitive measure against the Ganduje led NWC over the disobedience of the earlier decision of the court.

Agada, in an affidavit deposed to by his counsel M.T Aiyebo, insisted that the Ganduje-led NWC was duly served the order of the court on Wednesday at about 4 pm.

He added that the service of the order restraining the APC under Ganduje was also served at the office of the National Legal Adviser at 4.02pm on Wednesday at the party’s national secretariat.

In the affidavit, the applicant expressed surprise that in the evening of Wednesday, 21st August 2024, at 6 pm, Ganduje-led NWC held a meeting where he went ahead to dissolve his executive committee and appointed a caretaker committee against the earlier court order.

“That I saw on several Television stations that same evening about 8 pm and several other News media that the Benue state Working Committee of the Respondent on record has been dissolved by the Respondent against whom the leave of this Honourable court is been sought.”