Daniel Onjeh under fire over petition against Benue APC chairman, Agada

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Martinez Ibn Tyotsumeh, has lampooned Daniel Onjeh over his recent petition against Austine Agada, the Benue State chairman of the ruling party.

Recall that Onjeh, who was the APC Senatorial Candidate for Benue South in the 2023 General Elections, had petitioned the party’s National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, alleging that Agada, was involved in anti-party activities.

In the petition sighted by our correspondent, Onjeh alleged that the Benue State APC Chairman and his “acolytes rigged the 2023 senatorial election in Benue South” in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate, Abba Moro.

However, Agada had in a swift reaction dismissed the allegation, saying he doesn’t want to join issues with Onjeh.

Reacting to the development, Tyotsumeh, who is a stalwart of the party in Benue, described Onjeh allegations as baseless and unfounded.

According to Tyotsumeh, Onjeh is always in the habit of throwing blames after losing election.

Tyotsumeh in a statement on Sunday said Onjeh’s persistent blame game, targeting both the state chairman and national assembly candidates of the party for his electoral setbacks, raises doubts about the credibility of his accusations.

He said Onjeh was as one time a gallant comrade has now turned to ‘a pushover and cry baby.’

He advised leadership of the party to call Onjeh to order before he throws the APC in Benue into chaos.

His statement reads below.

“I have been an ardent follower of Benue State politics for a while now, not too long but long enough to witness the genesis of Daniel Onjeh and the intricacies that have played out since 2011 to date.

‘I have also noticed how Onjeh has turned into Agada’s greatest challenge since Agada assumed the role of Benue State All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman in October 2021.

“In his criticisms of Austin Agada, Daniel Onjeh has consistently attempted to present a distorted picture of rationality and objectivity.

“The truth, however, lies in the carefully crafted words Onjeh uses to further his unresponsive vendetta.

“We lose the essence of our humanity when we adamantly refuse to take responsibility for our actions.

“Onjeh’s major flaw is his tendency to assign blame to others for his failures without acknowledging the support he received from individuals like Austin Agada, Morgan Okpeh, and Joe Poxy Idoko, who played pivotal roles in bringing him into politics.

“Setting aside the claims and separating facts from fiction, Comrade Agada assumed the role of State Chairman of the APC in Benue State at a time when the state had a sitting Governor from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), 3 Senators, 7 out of 11 House of Representatives Members, and 23 of the 30 State House of Assembly Members, among others. Under Agada’s leadership, the APC’s political footprint in the state has significantly expanded, with notable achievements, including delivering Benue State to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, especially in a state where religious considerations heavily influence elections.

“There are two things consistent with Comrade Onjeh: losing elections and blaming others. In 2011, Onjeh was the candidate of the ACN for the House of Representatives; he lost.

“He then proceeded to contest for Ogbadibo Local Government Chairman on the platform of ACN, and he lost that election as well. In 2015, he was the Senatorial Candidate of the APC, an election that led to a rerun in 2016.

“It is on record that in one of the major campaigns in Oju where I was standing in the scorching sun waiting for his arrival, he snubbed the party leadership and the governor at the venue, leading to his major loss. In all this chronology of his losses, Austin Agada was not the chairman, so who is to be blamed?

“If not being delusional and having the propensity to blame everyone except Dan Onjeh, how can one accuse the state chairman of an opposing party in the state of funding a senatorial candidate of the PDP, which has a Governor, and sound reasonable? Onjeh should have rather tried to prove if the Senatorial Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Comrade Abba Moro, paid Austin Agada. This is a man who lost his ward, and was Agada that influential to have made him lose elections in his ward?”