No parallel APC congresses, excos in Benue, says Onjeh
Former All Progressives Congress (APC) Benue South senatorial candidate, Comrade Daniel Onjeh, has dismissed claims suggesting the emergence of parallel executives from the recently concluded Ward and Local Government congresses
Former All Progressives Congress (APC) Benue South senatorial candidate, Comrade Daniel Onjeh, has dismissed claims suggesting the emergence of parallel executives from the recently concluded Ward and Local Government congresses of the party in the State.
He urged party members and the public to disregard such claims, which he described as false and misleading.
Onjeh stated that the Ward Congresses were conducted under committees duly constituted by the National Working Committee (NWC) in line with the APC Constitution and the party’s established four-year congress cycle.
He added that the Local Government Congresses have also been concluded across the state in an orderly and recognised process, with executives emerging in the various local government areas.
“In a political party governed by rules, congresses are not declared into existence,” he said.
“They are convened under authority, supervised by recognised committees, and formally reported through the National Secretariat. That is how legitimacy is formed.”
He described the talk of parallel congresses as unfounded and misleading.
“There was no parallel congress in Benue State,” Onjeh said. “In fact, the claim being circulated does not even qualify to be described as a sham congress. A congress requires convergence. It requires members gathering at designated venues under authorised supervision. There was no such convergence. There was no gathering. There was no authorised supervision. People cannot sit in private spaces, write names, and rush to the media to declare themselves elected. That is not how a political party functions.”
Read Also: Matawalle hails Nigerian-made drones, boosts local defence production
Onjeh, a former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), noted that institutions thrive only when rules are respected and processes allowed to run their full course.
“In every serious organisation, whether student bodies, public institutions or political parties, authority flows from recognised structures. The National Executive Committee approves the congress cycle. The National Working Committee carries it out by constituting congress committees. Those committees supervise the exercise and formally transmit the results to the National Secretariat. Any claim outside that structure is simply a claim. It is not a constitutional outcome.”
He stressed that the APC Constitution provides clear mechanisms for resolving grievances.
“The party has appeal panels specifically constituted to review complaints arising from congresses. Any dissatisfied member has the right to file a petition before the appropriate appeal body. If after exhausting internal remedies, a person still feels aggrieved, the courts remain open. That is the proper path. We are not in a banana republic where individuals bypass laid-down procedures and attempt to manufacture outcomes through media declarations.”
Onjeh, who also served as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Projects Development Institute (PRODA), emphasised that governance and organisational integrity depend on discipline and adherence to established procedures.
“Journalism also carries responsibility,” he added. “Before presenting narratives of parallel executives, media organisations should make basic inquiries. Contact the National Secretariat. Confirm the committees deployed to Benue. Call the committee members and ask who supervised the congresses and where the official results were transmitted. Democracy is strengthened when facts are established, not assumed.”
Drawing on scripture, Onjeh referenced the account of the two women who appeared before King Solomon, each claiming the same child.
“In that account, two claims did not produce two truths. The false claimant was willing to see the child divided. The real mother knew the child could not be split in two. Those who care about the APC and followed the legitimate process cannot accept a narrative that attempts to divide what was lawfully constituted. Two declarations do not create two lawful congress outcomes.”
On the broader political context, Onjeh reaffirmed that Governor Hyacinth Alia remains the leader of the APC in the state in line with political practice across Nigeria.
“What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Governors across the country are recognised as leaders of their parties in their respective states. Governor Alia cannot be treated differently.”
He congratulated the newly emerged Ward and Local Government Executives across Benue State and urged them to focus on their mandate.
Onjeh maintained that there is only one APC in Benue State.
“There is one constitution. There is one recognised chain of authority. When the process is complete, only the outcome traceable to that chain will stand.”
