Onjeh distances self from meeting convened by Austin Agada

Former Chairman of the Governing Board of PRODA, Enugu, Comrade Daniel Onjeh, has unequivocally distanced himself from what he terms an “illegal meeting” of the All Progressives Congress (APC) state executives, senior stakeholders, and members in Benue State.

This meeting is purportedly being convened by Mr. Austin Agada, the embattled Chairman of the APC in Benue State, scheduled to be held on March 1, 2024, at the Benue State APC Secretariat, Makurdi.

In a statement issued today, Comrade Onjeh expressed that the suspended former Chairman of the APC in Benue State, Mr. Agada, allegedly published his name without consent as one of the invitees to the scheduled post-inaugural meeting with the Executive Director of Housing, Finance, and Accounts of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Dr. Mathias Terwase Byuan.

While extending congratulations to Dr. Byuan on his appointment and wishing him success in his new role, Onjeh, a chieftain of the APC and the party’s senatorial candidate for Benue South in the 2023 General Elections, emphasized his non-participation in illegal gatherings convened by Mr. Agada. He strongly condemned the inclusion of his name as an invited guest to such an illegal event, stating, “I am not part of it, and I am certainly not participating in it.”

Comrade Onjeh further pointed out that had Dr. Byuan, as a party stakeholder, called for the meeting himself, the APC members in Benue State and beyond would have gladly honored the invitation.

However, as it stands, the meeting purportedly convened by Mr. Agada lacks a clear-cut agenda, raising concerns of its intentions.

“A meeting without an agenda is designed to serve a skewed interest and will certainly not be in the best interest of the party,” Onjeh claimed.

Onjeh equally denounced any future illegal events organized by Mr. Agada, citing Agada’s suspension from the APC. “Henceforth, my name should never be associated with anything related to unlawful events organized by Mr. Agada, as he stands suspended from the party,” stated Onjeh.

Elaborating on the legal basis for Agada’s suspension, Onjeh clarified, “The decision of the Benue State High Court, which Agada approached the higher court to set aside, ordered him to stop parading himself as the party chairman in Benue State. It did not vacate his suspension from the party.”

Onjeh emphasized that Agada’s suspension from the APC was issued by a legitimate adjudicatory organ of the party at the ward level and remains in effect.

Addressing Agada’s argument regarding the legitimacy of his ward chairman to preside over his suspension, given his current caretaker supervisory council appointment at his local government, Onjeh reiterated that the APC constitution provides clarity on the matter. An executive committee member of the party may hold a caretaker position, but only in a temporary capacity.

Onjeh maintained that Agada’s appointment to the Ogbadibo Local Government Council was solely on a caretaker basis.

Onjeh also stressed the importance of adhering to established procedures for addressing grievances within the party structure.

“Insisting on enforcing our position on an election outcome we believe was rigged out will only lead to anarchy in the country. This is why we have election tribunals and appellate courts,” Onjeh said.

He further highlighted the available parallel processes within the APC, providing avenues for aggrieved members to appeal perceived injustices at various levels.

“In the APC, if a decision is made at the ward level and one is dissatisfied, there are seven days to appeal to the next appellate organ of the party, which in this instance, is the local government executive committee,” Onjeh explained.

Expressing disappointment over Agada’s failure to follow the proper channels for challenging his suspension, Onjeh stated, “He did not appeal to his local government executives within seven days of his suspension, and it has now been nearly five weeks since his ward executives suspended him.”

The former President of Nigeria’s apex student body, NANS, outlined the sequential steps stipulated in the party’s constitution for appealing such decisions: “If Mr. Agada had appealed his suspension at the local government executive committee level, any party still dissatisfied with the decision could appeal to the state executive committee. However, according to the APC Constitution, Agada remains suspended until a decision is reached at the state executive committee level.”

Onjeh reiterated that these processes have time constraints, yet Mr. Agada did not appeal his suspension following the laid-down procedure.

He said, “There is no record that he appealed his suspension to his LGA executive committee. There is absolutely no record that the LGA executives revoked his suspension by the ward executives.”

Urging Mr. Agada to respect established processes, Onjeh noted that his petition against the suspended APC State Chairman, concerning the latter’s anti-party activities during the last Benue South senatorial election, was still pending before the APC National Secretariat.

Onjeh called for Agada’s immediate resignation, stating, “The honorable course of action for Mr. Agada at this stage is to resign because, in the eyes of the law, he is not a member of the APC, and this situation is beyond remediation.”

Onjeh added that the court Mr. Agada approached did not order Hon. Omakolo Benjamin, the Benue State APC Acting Chairman, to vacate his seat.

“Therefore, as it stands now, there is no vacancy for the seat of the APC Chairman in Benue State,” Onjeh added.