APC crisis deepens as police block party from holding stakeholders’ meeting

The Police in Benue State yesterday prevented the All Progressives Congress (APC) from accessing its secretariat to hold a stakeholders’ meeting.

Our correspondent reports that the police took charge of the party’s secretariat very early in the morning; blocking the entrance with their vehicles alongside other security operatives drawn from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Livestock Guards.

Also, both roads leading to the APC secretariat were condoned from the police headquarters roundabout and the Titogate Junction axis with operational vehicles of the security operatives.

Earlier, the APC leadership under its state chairman, Comrade Austin Agada, had announced a meeting of the APC with selected stakeholders and the newly appointed Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Executive Director Housing, Finance and Accounts, Dr Matthias Byuan, to hold on March 1st at the party secretariat in Makurdi.

But, the State Police Command in a letter signed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Samuel Gimba, for the Commissioner of Police, addressed to

Agada, advised that the meetings be called off.

The police referred to an earlier letter it received from Governor Hyacinth Alia embargoing all forms of political meetings and gatherings in the state.

It would be recalled that the internal crisis rocking the APC in the state reached its crescendo recently when an acting State Chairman, Benjamin Omakolo, emerged after a ward exco passed a vote of no confidence on the Agada leadership.

The national secretariat of the party however held that Agada remains the substantive chairman of APC in the state.