Legitimacy and Benue APC parallel congresses
The crisis arising from the parallel state congresses of the All Progressives Congress in Benue State on March 3 has gone beyond an internal party disagreement. It now raises fundamental
The crisis arising from the parallel state congresses of the All Progressives Congress in Benue State on March 3 has gone beyond an internal party disagreement. It now raises fundamental questions of legality, political morality, and democratic clarity for the Benue electorate.
Two factions—one aligned with Governor Hyacinth Alia and the other with George Akume—produced parallel leaderships. Yet, not all congresses are equal under law, process, and evolving electoral realities.
The APC, at its highest levels, has consistently affirmed that serving governors are the leaders of the party in their states. This is not a mere slogan—it reflects political reality and operational control.
Therefore, a critical question arises:
Can a state congress be considered legitimate when conducted outside the authority or participation of the sitting governor?
While party constitutions may allow procedural flexibility, political practice in Nigeria shows that excluding a sitting governor creates a legitimacy deficit that is difficult to cure.
A party structure that stands in opposition to its own governor risks becoming politically detached, operationally ineffective and ultimately unsustainable.
It is now established that the tenure of the Agada-led executive expired on February 8. This fact is critical.
Even prior reporting confirms the existence of deep disputes over the leadership structure and interventions such as caretaker arrangements in the past.
If tenure has lapsed, then any attempt to “reaffirm” or “extend authority” without a fresh, valid mandate raises serious legal and procedural concerns
In simple terms: You cannot build legitimacy on an expired mandate.
This significantly weakens the claim of continuity relied upon by the Akume-aligned faction.
Reports indicate that the congress at IBB Square—where Benjamin Omale emerged—was conducted under national supervision and in line with party processes, including the inauguration of executives.
Additionally, APC had deployed multiple national committees to supervise congresses in Benue, underscoring the importance of adherence to official procedures.
If a congress is supervised by a recognized national committee, produces new executives, and inaugurates them in line with party guidelines, then it possesses a prima facie procedural legitimacy that cannot be casually dismissed.
The newly passed Electoral Act 2026 introduces a major shift: primaries must be conducted through, direct voting, or consensus among aspirants.
This reform weakens the old system where control of delegate structures determined political outcomes. The implication is profound: Party structures built on delegate dominance are losing legal relevance. This strengthens actors who command broader grassroots support, or can influence consensus.
In practical terms, this shift tilts the balance toward incumbents, especially sitting governors.
What we now have in Benue is not a simple dispute, but a collision of two types of legitimacy: A legacy/structural legitimacy rooted in past recognition associated with the Agada-led structure, and, a political and procedural legitimacy anchored on the authority of the sitting governor, expiration of previous tenure, supervision by national party mechanisms and alignment with emerging electoral law
This is not an internal matter alone—it directly affects party stability. Without clarity, parallel leadership will persist and internal sabotage becomes inevitable
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Confusion over legitimate leadership may distort candidate nomination processes, and trigger litigations that could invalidate future elections.
The Benue electorate deserves to know which structure represents the APC, who has authority to speak for the party. Without this clarity, the party risks appearing disorganized, divided and unfit to govern cohesively
Ultimately, only the APC national leadership—under Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda—can resolve this.
That resolution must be clear, (not ambiguous), justifiable (based on rules and facts) and forward-looking (aligned with the new electoral framework). Anything short of this will deepen factionalism and weaken the party ahead of 2027.
The Benue APC crisis is not merely about personalities—it is about the transition from old political structures to a new electoral order.
A structure with an expired mandate cannot claim enduring legitimacy. A process that ignores the sitting governor lacks political coherence. A party that fails to clarify its leadership risks losing public trust.
Clarity is no longer optional—it is urgent and necessary for democratic stability in Benue State.
