A public affairs analyst and an Abuja-based legal practitioner, Edward Akum Ejor, has accused some leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State of grave disregard for the party’s constitution by dissolving the Augustine Agada-led State Executive Committee.
According to him, the said dissolution is a grave aberration and an utmost disregard for the rule of law, and was done in bad faith (mala fide).
The Agada-led Executive Committee was elected with a four-year tenure from 3 February 2022 to elapse by 2 February 2026.
In a statement on Thursday, Ejor said the order of the Federal High Court has not been set aside, therefore, the said order is still valid and subsisting; therefore the alleged dissolution is null and void and of no moment.
He argued that the NWC lacked constitutional powers to constitute a caretaker committee, insisting that such powers are exclusively vested in the National Executive Committee, NEC, under Article 13.3(B) of the APC constitution.
“The caretaker committee was an illegality ab initio. The constitution is clear on who has powers to set up such a committee,” he stated.
Ejor further claimed that a competent court had already declared the dissolution of the Benue APC executive illegal and nullified the activities of the caretaker committee, stressing that the judgment remained subsisting.
He warned that the continued disregard for party constitution and court judgments could deepen the crisis within the APC in Benue State and potentially threaten the party’s future electoral fortunes.
Drawing parallels with the 2019 Zamfara APC crisis, Ejor cautioned party leaders against actions capable of creating constitutional complications ahead of future elections.
Recall that the Supreme Court in 2019 nullified the elections of all APC candidates in Zamfara State after ruling that the party failed to conduct valid primaries, thereby rendering votes scored by the party invalid.
The judgment led to the loss of the governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly seats won by the APC in the state.
Political observers say the Zamfara experience remains one of the biggest legal setbacks suffered by a political party in Nigeria’s democratic history and serves as a warning against disregard for party constitutions and internal democratic procedures.
Ejor insisted that party leaders in Benue must avoid repeating mistakes capable of plunging the APC into avoidable legal and political crises.
“The law must be respected. You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand,” he added.
Benue APC risks Zamfara date over ‘illegal’ exco dissolution — Ejor warns
