- Ortom asserted that Benue PDP Chairman, John Ngbede, who announced his suspension, had himself been suspended for one month
Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has dismissed reports of his suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking through his media aide, Terver Akase, Ortom declared the suspension null and void, emphasizing that he remains the party leader in the state.
“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,” Akase stated.
Ortom asserted that Benue PDP Chairman, John Ngbede, who announced his suspension, had himself been suspended for one month and therefore had no authority to convene such a meeting.
However, Ngbede, speaking to journalists at the party’s secretariat in Makurdi, confirmed Ortom’s suspension, accusing the former governor of attempting to hijack the party’s leadership and revert to old practices of malpractice.
Ngbede said, “It’s true that the former governor was suspended by the State Working Committee of the party because we will not allow anyone who thinks he can take the leadership of the party by force. The party belongs to the people, and we should allow people to feel the impact of the congress.”
Ngbede insisted that he remains the Benue PDP Chairman, noting that while his tenure technically expires on August 4, he awaits directives from the national secretariat. “It’s only the state executive committee of the party that can suspend me by virtue of my position as a member of the national executive,” he added.