From Attah Ede Makurdi

The main opposition- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State is currently in commotion.

If things continue as they are, the umbrella party may lack capability to put up any fight in the forthcoming local council election in the state.

It will further suffer debilitating blow in the 2027 general elections.

In the last few days, the party has been engulfed in crisis of leadership, a development that led to the suspension and counter suspension of members of State Working Committee (SWC) and other high ranking members.

Yesterday afternoon, members of State Working Committee (SWC) loyal to erstwhile Governor Samuel Ortom slammed indefinite suspension on former Governor Gabriel Suswam including other honchos like Terngu Tsegba, Richard Gbande, Terseer Tsumba and Professor Nicholas Ada for gross insubordination.

Other affected officials who were also suspended are the chairmen of the party for Apa, Gboko, Gwer-East, Katsina-Ala, Konshisha, Logo, Otukpo and Ukum Local Government Areas.

The party had summoned the affected persons on Wednesday to appear before SWC to answer allegations bordering on acts inimical to the good health and interest of the party, including diversion of campaign funds during the 2023 elections, sponsoring of factions and thuggery within the party, sponsoring of publication of internal party disputes, sponsoring of court litigations against the party without recourse to the internal dispute resolution mechanisms, among several other things.

The pro-Ortom PDP leadership in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom in Makurdi said Suswam was also accused of being a spokesperson and errand runner to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Governor Hyacinth Alia.

According to the party, at a point when the PDP Governorship Candidate, Titus Uba was still in court challenging the outcome of the election, Suswam was drumming support for the APC governor at public functions.

The party made specific reference to Suswam’s speech at the burial of the son of the first civilian governor of the state, the late Akua Aku where he openly spoke against the party.

The statement said the affected persons were required to appear before SWC yesterday at the party’s State Secretariat on No. 1, Ochagwu Lawani Street, New GRA, Makurdi by 10:00am.

The aim of their summons was to interact with them at a preliminary level and possibly avoid the need to take disciplinary action against them.

Iortyom explained that rather than reciprocate the conciliatory gesture extended to them, they chose the path of intransigence and insubordination by refusing to appear before SWC as required.

Some of them took to the public space to pour scorn on the party’s constituted authorities.

“Their unfortunate conduct contravenes Section 58 of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (as Amended in 2017) and accordingly, they have been suspended from the party for a period of one month, and are hereby directed to appear before the Disciplinary Committee of the party at a date, venue and time to be communicated to them by the committee.

“PDP charges its teeming members across the state to remain law abiding and keep faith with the party’s leadership as it steers a peaceable way out of the unfortunate events of the recent past, in the assurance that the party will emerge stronger from the ongoing reformation efforts,” he stated.

At about 12:30pm yesterday, armed police operatives were stationed in and around the secretariat in the state. They were said to be working on “an order from above”.

Few hours later, a written communication from the PDP national secretariat in Abuja emerged, directing the state chairman, John Ngbede and other executive members to immediately vacate office, saying their tenure had come to an end.

The letter signed by the National Organising Secretary of the party, Umar Bature indicated that the tenure of the leadership expired on Aug. 8.

The letter noted that the expiration is due to effusion of time, pursuant to Section 47 of the party’s constitution.

Part of the letter read: “This is to formally notify you of the expiration of the tenure of the current state executive committee of our party in Benue State, having been elected for four years ago, this is August 08, 2024.

“Please, note that to avoid creating vacuum, the National Caretaker Committee (NWC) has resolved to constitute a fresh state caretaker committee for your state.

“While thanking you for your service to the party, please accept the assurance of the NWC highest regards.”

Reacting to this development, the outgone state chairman, Ngbede confirmed that the tenure of the state executive committee had expired.

He said, “The national secretariat has communicated to us and I am in receipt of the letter sent to me by the National Organising Secretary informing me and the other exco members of the expiration of our tenure in office.

“We are all going. The National Caretaker Committee is likely to put in place a state caretaker committee.

“We have done our best. We were elected and have served for eight Years, so let’s give way for others to come and serve too. I have no problem with that.”

In another development, a State High Court sitting in Gboko, Gboko Local Government Area of the state yesterday issued an order restraining the party from conducting its ward congress in six local government areas.

The court stopped the party from proceeding with local government congress slated for Aug. 10 in Buruku, Gboko, Guma, Kwande, Ushongo, and Konshisha pending investigation into the disruption of ward congress in the areas on July 27.

Senator Orker Jev and other plaintiffs had filed a complaint, leading to the court’s decision “to protect the interests of the affected party members”.

The court ruled that the congress in the affected areas should be put on hold pending when the contending issues are resolved as a motion on notice had been scheduled for hearing on Aug. 16.

It would be recalled that the PDP conducted ward congress on July 27 but some party leaders allegedly removed electoral materials intended for the affected LGAs.

The controversy arising from the exercise has further polarised PDP into two factions, one belonging to Ortom and the second to Suswam, leading to the suspension and counter suspension of the party leaders on both sides.

From the look of things, the party is seriously swimming into a self-inflicted disease that is threatening to become pandemic in a near future.