Benue APC Leader, Akume Loses Thousands Of Party Chieftains In Own LGA

About 2500 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Tarka Local Government Area of Benue State, on Friday decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Tarka is the local government of Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, and leader of the APC in the state, George Akume.

Recall that Akume, a former two-term governor of the state, was also defeated by Senator Emmanuel Yisa Orker Jev in the 2019 Benue North-West (Zone ‘A’) Senatorial race. Jev contested the poll on the platform of the PDP.

A statement issued on Saturday by State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Bemgba Iortyom, said the decamping ceremony took place as the State Working Committee of the Benue PDP led by its Chairman, Sir John Ngbede, inaugurated the Local Government Area Executive Committee of the party for Tarka.

Iortyom said there were strong indications that more defections are in the offing.

He said: “Leader of the decampees, Elder Ahine Anivungu, sounded jubilant as he declared his avowal and that of the thousands with him to work hard to ensure PDP emerges victorious in coming elections in the area.

“He pointed to the absence of positive impact by APC in Tarka, despite the Leader of the party in the state being from the area, stressing that every developmental milestone there is to the credit of PDP.”

According to him, Ngbede, while receiving the decampees into his party, assured them of equal rights and charged them to join hands and work for the progress of the party in the area.

He added that the PDP chairman also stressed that the political reality in Tarka is that while PDP enjoys the majority support of the electorate there, APC leaders have always resorted to violence to manipulate elections in their favour.

Ngbede charged the newly inaugurated local government executives, the decampees and members of the party in the area to close ranks and ensure “their majority status registers in victory at subsequent elections.”

Responding on behalf of the new Exco, newly sworn in Tarka PDP Local Government Chairman, Aondoakaa Yayough, pledged to work with all stakeholders and members of the party in the area to achieve success.

“Various speakers at the occasion, including Executive Chairman of Tarka LGC, Mrs. Juliana Suswam; Rural Development and Co-operatives Commissioner, Victor Ukaha; Special Adivsers, Joyce Tarka and Emmanuel Manger; 2019 Gboko/Tarka House of Representatives PDP Candidate, Bernard Nenger; Elder Dr. John Allagh and PDP State Vice-Chairman for Zone ‘B’, Mbakorlumun James Chia all drummed support for the new Exco promising to work as a family for dominance in the area,” the PDP spokesman added.