The internal strife within the Benue State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has escalated, with reports indicating that the former governor, Gabriel Suswam, allegedly prevented the party from accessing its headquarters at a building on Otukpo Road in Makurdi, which he had previously donated to the party. Tensions between Suswam and his successor, Samuel Ortom, regarding control over the party structure had been ongoing since the beginning of the congresses. This power struggle led to the suspension and counter-suspension of leaders until a caretaker committee was established by the party’s National Working Committee to oversee affairs in the state. Despite a recent peace meeting where leaders agreed to work together, the committee members were reportedly ousted from the secretariat. In response, Ortom offered the party temporary space in one of his office complexes. Ortom’s media aide, Terver Akase, accused Suswam of sealing off the secretariat, a claim refuted by Suswam’s media aide, Bede Batholomew, who challenged the allegations and emphasized that the building was a donation to the party and not a rented space.
Suswam, Ortom differ over Benue PDP caretaker panel’s eviction
