A peace and reconciliation meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State ended in controversy on Sunday, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, and Governor Hyacinth Alia gave conflicting accounts of the resolutions reached.

The meeting, held at the Government House in Makurdi, was convened in line with a directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the lingering leadership crisis within the party in the state.

However, disagreement soon emerged over claims of an “automatic ticket” for elected APC officeholders, with both leaders presenting differing interpretations of what transpired.

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Akume said the primary goal was to restore peace and unity within the party.

He stated that part of the resolution reached included granting automatic tickets to all elected APC officials, including the governor and members of the National and State Assemblies.

According to him, the governor also apologised for the crisis that had rocked the party.

“Where we went wrong, we want to get back, and we want everybody to have a place; we want inclusiveness in this party,” Akume said.

“Secondly, the Rev Fr (governor) said he was sorry, which is very good. He told us he was sorry for what had happened.

“And, of course, all those elected on the platform of the APC, from the state Assembly to the National Assembly, must still come back. It’s automatic; they must come back, and Rev Fr must return to us. Those are the issues we discussed.”

Governor Alia, however, countered Akume’s position, insisting that there was no agreement on automatic tickets.

He said both the President and the national chairman of the party had consistently made it clear that such an arrangement does not exist in the APC.

The governor admitted apologising, describing it as a necessary step to foster unity.

“We all agreed to come under one roof, and the import of this is to reconcile with each other and to find common ground as we were working and operating before now,” Alia said.

“For those who were aggrieved, I have to apologise on behalf of every member of the APC. Doing that was deliberate as a responsible leader of the party.”

Clarifying further, the governor said the issue of automatic tickets was not part of any binding agreement.

“The resolution is beyond both of us, because the APC has told us plainly, and Mr President has mentioned several times, as well as the national chairman of the APC, that there is no automatic ticket,” he said.

“What the SGF said was a prayer and not a resolution… It was an appeal to see how people can support those currently serving, not a directive.”

The Benue APC has been embroiled in a prolonged leadership crisis over the past three years, largely driven by a power tussle between Akume and the governor.

The struggle for control of the party structure has divided the party into factions, with both sides producing parallel executives from ward to state levels during recent congresses.