MAKURDI – The Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) suffered a major setback on Sunday as scores of party members and high-profile governorship aspirants officially resigned from the ruling party.
The defectors, largely drawn from the faction loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, made their move public during an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held at the Makurdi residence of former Governor Samuel Ortom.
Among the prominent figures spotted at the opposition gathering were several 2023 APC governorship aspirants, including the Executive Director of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Mathias Byuan; the Managing Director of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Barr. Pius Akutah; a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Barr. Sabastine Hon; and former Minister of Justice, Barr. Mike Aondoakaa.
The mass exit follows months of an intractable leadership crisis within the state chapter, characterized by the emergence of parallel executive committees. The friction between the camp of Governor Hyacinth Alia and the state working committee led by Austin Agada has effectively split the party into two warring factions.
Addressing the gathering, leaders of the PDP, including Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, welcomed the new entrants, describing the realignment as a “rescue mission” for the state.
While the APC state secretariat has yet to issue an official reaction to the wave of resignations, sources within the party suggest that more departures are expected in the coming days as the internal power struggle shows no signs of abating ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.
