- Internal crisis in the PDP intensified as stakeholders urged former governor Suswam to resign from the G-14 group amid leadership conflicts
- Suswam’s proposal to dissolve the G-14 sparked discontent, with current chairman Laha Dzever affirming the group’s continuity and authority
The internal crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State intensified over the weekend, as key stakeholders urged former governor Senator Gabriel Suswam to resign from the G-14 group if he so desired.
Suswam, who has co-chaired the G-14 since its establishment in 2015, has been in a leadership conflict with his successor, Governor Samuel Ortom, over control of the party in the state.
The G-14 is a group of PDP elders from 14 local government areas within the Tiv ethnic bloc, created to stabilize the party following its 2015 electoral defeat.
At a recent PDP stakeholders’ meeting in Makurdi on Friday, Suswam announced the dissolution of the G-14 and proposed its replacement with a new caucus to represent the party across Benue State.
This announcement sparked discontent among party members, especially as Ortom, who joined the PDP in 2018, had taken on a co-chair role in the G-14.
In response, Laha Dzever, the current chairman of the G-14, issued a statement on Saturday reaffirming the group’s continuity. Dzever emphasized that the G-14, a voluntary and non-statutory body, cannot be dissolved by any individual, including Suswam.
He stated that while Suswam has the right to step down, he does not have the authority to disband the group.