Benue LP Guber Crisis : I have Confidence in The Supreme Court To Give Me Justice – Akaakar

…Disassociates self from Benue Youth Media Outing

A governorship aspirant on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) in Benue State, Engr. Ben Akaakar has expressed optimism that the Supreme Court will do justice in the lingering litigation that trailed the gubernatorial primaries of the party.

He said he has confidence in the apex court, which is the final arbiter to uphold justice in all cases.

His position came amid reactions by a group, under the aegis of Benue Youth Vanguard on the Makurdi Federal High Court and the appellate court for failing to remove Hon. Herman Hembe as the party’s candidate, having earlier participated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Gubernatorial Primaries exercise.

The group had described the outcome of both courts as a “rape of justice”, while calling on the apex court to redeem itself by declaring Akaakar the authentic candidate of the party in the March governorship election.

The group also accused Hembe of concurrently belonging to two political parties of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Labour party and also participating in the two parties gubernatorial primaries.

Engr. Akaakar had challenged the emergence of Hon. Hembe, the National Assembly member representing Vandeikya/Konshisha constituency as the  gubernatorial candidate of the LP in the state in the coming 2023 elections.

He had approached the court seeking his recognition as the duly elected candidate and the disqualification of Hembe for being invalidly elected.

He cited the results of APC’s governorship primary elections which had Hembe’s name, indicating that he had participated in that election; and sought that INEC be ordered to replace Hembe’s name with his, being the first runner-up in the primary election supposedly Hembe won.

However, in a ruling, the Makurdi Federal high court ruled that Hembe’s name was erroneously printed in the APC primary elections results.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Makurdi also upheld the decision of the lower court on the matter.

While disassociating himself from the recent press conference by Benue Youth Vanguard asking the Supreme court to redeem its image’, Akaakar noted that the judiciary is a credible institution, adding that he believed the rule of law would prevail.

He appreciated the youth group for identifying with him at his trying time and believing in his capacity to move the Benue State forward.

He urged them to remain calm and allow the apex court to adjudicate on the matter, noting that justice would be served in the matter.