The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Benue state is getting messier as the suspended State Chairman, Mr John Ngbede and two other suspended State Working Committee, SWC, members have also resorted to suspending the leader of the party and immediate past Governor of the state Chief Samuel Ortom.
Recall that nine members of the 13-member SWC of the party had Monday slammed a one-month suspension on the State Chairman, Secretary and Organizing Secretary over alleged misconduct and ordered them to appear before a disciplinary committee.
The suspended Chairman in company of others who were at the State Secretariat of the party Tuesday morning said they were in the office to hold a meeting to suspend the former Governor claiming that his alleged suspension was not valid as it was only the National Executive Committee of the party that could suspend him from office.
He blamed his ordeal on the former Governor and leader of the party alleging that the crisis was a fallout of the recently held Ward Congresses of the party in the state.
He said, “Ordinarily, our tenure expired on August 4, but we are waiting for the directive of the National Secretariat. It s only the State Executive Committee of the party that can suspend me by virtue of my position as member of National Executive.
“It is true that the former Governor was suspended by the State Working Committee of the party because what we are saying is that we will not allow anyone think he can take the leadership of the party by force.
“The party belongs to the people and we will not allow anyone to take us back to the old order where they will be hijacking voting materials. We should allow people to feel the impact of the congress.”
But countering the suspended Chairman, former governor Ortom dismissed his claims insisting that the former Chairman remained suspended.
Chief Ortom who spoke through his Media Aide, Terver Akase, advised the suspended Chairman to respect the decision of the party adding that he had no powers to call a meeting.
Hear him: “Ortom has not been suspended, he is the leader of the party in the State and any meeting that is called or going on without his consent is null and void. The chairman of the party in the State, John Ngbede, the secretary and the Organizing Secretary are on suspension.
“The Vice Chairman, Secretary and Organizing Secretary were all suspended by nine out of 13 members. Nine out of 13 is close to 90 per cent and so based on the one-month suspension, they don’t have the powers to convene any meetings at whatever level.
“Ortom has not been suspended because the man who signed that suspension letter was suspended at the time he signed that letter. So he didn’t have the powers to sign any suspension.
“So whatever meeting they are holding is null and void because they do not have the constitutional rights to convene a meeting of the party.”
While noting that the party had not been factionalised Akase pointed out that “Chief Ortom is the leader of the party in the state. John Ngbede is suspended, his suspension began yesterday, August 5 and it will run for one month. In his place, the acting chairman, Mr Isaac Mffo who is the Vice Chairman is now the acting chairman of the party.
“If the meeting of the party is to be convened, it should be in consultation with the leader of the party and that meeting will be presided over by the acting chairman of the party.
“So any meeting that is going on and is not called by Isaac Mffo is null and void. I insist that John Ngbede stands suspended from the party. There is freedom of association under the Nigerian constitution, so he can meet with anybody he wants.”
Akase who stated that the party had a conflict resolution mechanism advised the three suspended SWC members to make themselves available before the panel that had already been set up to investigate their activities
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