Crisis looms in the rank and file of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State following last Saturday’s ward congress.
This comes as the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party, on Monday, announced the suspension of three members of the committee.
According to a statement earlier issued by the party publicity secretary in the state, Bemgba Iortyom, the affected officials include: the state chairman, John Ngbede; state secretary, Joseph Nyam and state organizing secretary, Moses Audu.
Iortyom said the decision was reached at an extraordinary meeting of the State Working Committee of the party on Saturday, 3rd August, at which nine out of the 13 members were present and assented to the decision.
The statement read in parts, “The suspended members were 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 to 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 acting capacity.
But speaking to the Nigerian Tribune, on the phone on Monday, the suspended chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Benue State, John Ngbede accused the immediate past governor of the state, Samuel Ortom, as the brain behind his suspension.
Ngbede said that the extra-ordinary meeting of the working committee was never held at the party secretariat but at the house of the immediate past governor.
He said, “Am I not the one that is supposed to call for a meeting? But the meeting was held at the house of former governor.”
He dismissed the allegations of forgery and others leveled against him just as he advanced reason for his purported suspension.
According to Ngbede, his stand against illegality during the last Saturday congress where result sheets were hijacked at gunpoint was his offense.
According to him, “The congress last Saturday was marred with irregularities in some places because some of those who were in their so called meeting masterminded it.”
“Some result sheets were snatched and those who went out to conduct the Congress told us that those result sheets were snatched at gun point”.
Ngbede said that he is in custody of the result sheets.
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