Benue PDP Crisis Deepens as Chairman, Ortom Trade Blows
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State is embroiled in a deepening crisis, with the embattled chairman, John Ngbede, and the immediate past governor, Samuel Ortom, trading blows.
Ngbede, speaking to journalists at the party secretariat, accused Ortom and his loyalists of trying to take the party leadership by force, citing their attempts to "take the party back to the old order where malpractices held sway." The chairman dismissed his suspension, stating that only the national executive committee of the party could suspend him.
The former governor, however, insisted that he had not been suspended from the party and accused Ngbede of trying to undermine his leadership. Through his media aide, Terver Akase, Ortom said that any meeting held without his consent was null and void.
The crisis, which has been raging for weeks, appears to be far from over, with the PDP in Benue State seemingly split along factional lines. Ngbede’s suspension and that of his secretary and organizing secretary remain contentious issues, with the former governor urging the purportedly suspended officials to present themselves before the panel investigating the matter.
The PDP’s conflict resolution mechanism has been activated, but the future of the party in Benue State remains uncertain. With the party’s leadership in disarray, it remains to be seen how the crisis will ultimately be resolved.
