Leyoo Ajeokun
Crisis has engulfed the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Benue State, this comes as the State Chairman of the party, Sir John Ngbede, the State Secretary, Joseph Nyam, and the state organising secretary, Moses Audu, have been allegedly suspended by the State Working Committee, SWC, of the party.
The suspension of the three State Working Committee, SWC, members was contained in a statement on Monday issued by the state publicity officer of the party, Chief Bemgba Iortyom.
The statement claimed that the leaders who would proceed with a one-month suspension were penalized over alleged impersonation and instigating crises during the just concluded ward congresses of the party, among other allegations.
They were also directed to appear before a disciplinary committee to answer the charges brought before them.
The statement reads in part: “The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Benue State has suspended three members of its State Working Committee from office for a period of one month with immediate effect.
“The affected officials are the state chairman, John Ngbede; the state secretary, Joseph Nyam; and the state organizing secretary, Moses Audu.
“The action was carried at an extraordinary meeting of the State Working Committee of the party on Saturday, August 3, 2024, at which nine out of the 13 members were present and assented to the decision.
“The suspended members are accused of forging and impersonating the State Working Committee to achieve their individual aims, instigating violence and crisis during the just concluded Ward Congresses of the party, and mismanagement of the finances of the party, among other things.
“They have been directed to appear before the disciplinary committee of the party to answer the charges brought against them within the period of their suspension.
“The State Deputy Chairman, Isaac Mffo, is now the State Chairman of the PDP in Benue State in an acting capacity. The PDP family and the general public should take note.”
When contacted, the suspended chairman, Sir Ngbede, said, “I don’t know about that Bemgba Iortyom is suspended by his ward, so he is not the publicity secretary of the party.
“We didn’t have any meetings, and there was no State Working Committee meeting, so where did they get that authority of suspending the chairman?
“Uptil now, we have not seen anything. Most of them there claiming to suspend people have resigned their positions to contest for various positions in the coming congresses, so how can people who have resigned their positions come to hold a meeting to suspend the chairman?
“Who are they, and where do they hold the meeting? A lot of them have resigned. The state deputy chairman zone A, state treasurer, and state organising secretary have all written letters resigning from their positions. So why are they suspending somebody who has already resigned?”