From Msurshima Andrew, Makurdi
The APC League of Voters, Benue state, has called on the Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), to sanction Sen. Barnabas Gemade for engaging in anti party activities and sabotaging the party chances at winning elections.
The group, in a statement signed by its leader and secretary, Orduen Aernan and Bem Adoor respectively, and made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Friday.
Senator Barnabas Gemade, had contested the governorship primaries on the platform of the APC for the 2023 general elections and lost. Gemade had also proceeded to court against the party challenging the emergence of Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia as the party candidate
The group said Gemade’s recent outing and behaviour is a grave threat and disaster to the APC and is capable of grounding the party if nothing was done to nip it in the bud.
According to them group, the former senator who has unjustifiably profited enormously from the party, has contributed nothing to building the APC in Benue state.
They recalled that Gemade joined the APC in 2015, on the day senatorial primaries of the party were ongoing. “This means that he is an interloper who found his way into the party fold when nomination forms had been sold and closed.
“The implication is that the screening of party candidates had already been done and concluded, and the final list of successful and eligible candidates for election duly published before Barnabas Gemade curiously wriggled his way when the most bizarre happened. IowillHe got a “waiver”, participated in the primaries, and was announced the winner.
“He would later be elected into the red chambers of the national assembly. But after 4 years, the people of Benue North-East senatorial district rated his performances as below average and denied him a ticket in 2019.
“Gemade quickly abandoned our great party, the APC, and jumped over to SDP…But when another election year was nigh, he again abandoned SDP and returned to APC where he contested for the 2023 gubernatorial ticket of the party but lost.
The geoup regretted that “against all pleas from respected personalities in Tivland, Gemade was not deterred him from dragging the party and the candidate through the judicial process up to the apex court.”
“Since then, Gemade has both openly and discreetly continued to indulge in one anti-party activity or the other in a manner that is characteristic of a bad looser.”
In their opinion, results of the last Presidential and national assemblies elections, especially in his Mbawar ward of Konshisha LGA, further exposed how he and his team ensured that APC was defeated in their wards and in some polling units in their domains.
“We consider this as another way of sabotaging the party and therefore, we make bold to call for immediate disciplinary measures against Barnabas Gemade who is bent on crippling the party in the state,” they said.
Responding to their request, state Chairman of APC, Comrade Austin Agada noted that the League among and other APC registered groups have made such allegations on Gemade.
He said the party will look into all allegations of involvement in anti party activities saying anyone found culpable will be punished.
He said “For us as a party, we have worked so hard and we don’t know why anybody will be doing anti party activity at this stage.
“But personally, I want to believe that the allegation is not true but it will be most unfortunate for him to be involved in that but we are going to investigate everybody that has been pointed to be involved in one anti party activity or another and if found guilty, none will go unpunished.
“Nobody is above the party. The party must always stand for what is true and just because of tomorrow,” he said.
