From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

A state chairmanship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress APC in the recently conducted state congress of the party in Benue State, Barr. Omale Omale has vowed to exhaust all internal mechanisms of the party to ensure he is declared chairman of the party in the state.

Omale, it was gathered, emerged as the consensus Chairmanship candidate of the party leadership from the Benue South Senatorial District popularly known as Zone C where the position was zoned to.

But the powers that be allegedly ensured the emergence of Austin Agada whom the leader of the Party in the state, Senator George Akume reportedly supported to win the said election.

But Omale, reacting to a press conference where the newly elected officials of the party, led by its deputy Chairman elect, Hon. Stephen Tsav disowned him on Thursday, wondered how the officials elect can begin to perform the functions of their offices when they were yet to be inaugurated.

‘Until the national secretariat affirms the report of the Congress and so declare and inaugurate the chairman in our custom in Abuja and authorise the state Chairman to come back and inaugurate the other state executives, there is strictly speaking, no executive of the party that can have access to the secretariat of the party to begin to discharge functions from the office they claim to have been elected into.

‘It is upon inauguration that you begin to perform the functions of your several offices or functions of your offices as a committee.

‘Nevertheless, we are keeping our fingers crossed being law abiding members of the party, we will exhaust all internal mechanism for the determination of our right as the valid and authentic APC Chairman in Benue State.

‘And at the close of this internal mechanism for sole determination, if we are satisfied, to God be the glory, and if not, we do know that the party will indeed not make any mistake by not so declaring us because doing otherwise is an invitation to killing and destroying the party in Benue State that somebody has set out to do.

‘And what is more? If they know that the close of every Congress turns out executives elect, and until you are affirmed by the final organ in the electoral chain process which is the national working committee, you will not be inaugurated.

‘To rush to the secretariat of the party is a tacit attack on the current executive of our party in Benue State led by Comrade Abba Yaro. Regrettably, this can only happen where the leadership of the party encourage impunity.’

Omale urged all APC members and the Benue people to remain calm and law abiding promising that he would explore all lawful steps within and without the permission of the party to ensure that he takes what rightfully belongs to him.

‘APC members are urged to stay calm. The Benue community are encouraged and urged to stay calm as we will explore and exhaust all lawful steps within and without the permission of the party.

‘And we are very optimistic that the law and the guidelines made pursuant thereto are on our side. A little will do a whole lot. I trust that by the time we take the leadership of our party in Benue, the people will truly own the party and they will determine the secretariat of the party, they will determine how to put that secretariat to use, they will determine the next and necessary consequential step that they will take, to develop, and to strengthen the party in Benue State.

‘I am glad by the volume of support we have enjoyed this far so good in the cause of this struggle. It is not about Omale Omale to insist and become the chairman of the party in the state, but it is about our resolve to liberate ourselves so that we can truly own this party,’ Omale noted.