Benue PDP suspends Suswam, Tsegba, others for insubordination
By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –
The intra party crisis in the main opposition party, the Benue State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has assumed a dangerous dimension with the suspension of Senator Gabriel Suswam, Terngu Tsegba, Richard Gbande, Terseer Tsumba and Professor Nicholas Ada from the party for gross insubordination.
The party equally suspended the chairmen of the party for Apa, Gboko, Gwer-East, Katsina-Ala, Konshisha, Logo, Otukpo and Ukum Local government areas.
The spokesman of the party Bemgba Iortyom had issued a statement which indicated that the party had summoned the affected persons on August, 7, 2024, to appear before the State Working Committee (SWC) to answer allegations made against them which bothered on acts inimical to the good health and interests 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 party had specifically accused Senator Suswam of being a spokesperson and errand runner to APC’s Governor Hyacinth Alia to the extent that even when the PDP Governorship Candidate, Engr. Titus Uba, was still in court challenging the outcome of the election, Suswam was going about drumming support for the governor at public functions, with specific reference made to his speech at the burial of late Akua Aper Aku.
The affected persons were required to appear before the SWC today at the party’s State Secretariat on No. 1, Ochagwu Lawani Street, New GRA in Makurdi by 10am, the aim of their summons being to interact with them at a preliminary level and possibly avoid the need to take disciplinary action against them.
The party spokesman said the affected persons did not reciprocate the conciliatory gesture extended to them as they chose the path of intransigence and insubordination by refusing to appear before the SWC as required, with some of them taking to the public space to pour scorn on the party’s constituted authority.
“Their unfortunate conduct contravene 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 (1) 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.”
The state chapter of the party charged 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 would emerge stronger from the ongoing reformation efforts.