Nigeria: Chaos In Benue State PDP As Newly Elected Officials Are Locked Out Of Secretariat

Confusion gripped the newly elected members of the Benue State Working Committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday, as they arrived at the party’s secretariat along Otukpo Road to assume office, only to find the premises locked.

The unexpected closure occurred despite former Governor Samuel Ortom’s recent announcement that he had provided a new building in the High-Level area of Makurdi for the party.

This followed allegations by the party’s caretaker committee that they had been evicted from the old secretariat, a claim denied by former Governor Gabriel Suswam’s media aide, Mede Bartholomew, who maintained that there was no proof of such an eviction.

When the newly elected PDP Chairman, Ezekiel Adaji, and his team arrived at the secretariat to receive handover documents from the caretaker committee, they were shocked to discover that the facility had been shut without prior notice.

Efforts by Adaji to ascertain the reason for the closure were unsuccessful. Even a call to the caretaker committee’s secretary revealed that the committee itself was unaware of the development.

Adaji, speaking to journalists, expressed his frustration and indicated that consultations with relevant party stakeholders would be held to address the issue and determine the next steps.

This incident occurred just hours after the state PDP congress, where Ezekiel Adaji, a former House of Representatives member representing Otukpo/Ohimini federal constituency, was declared the new state chairman after securing 2,482 votes.

The congress, which saw the participation of 2,900 accredited delegates, also produced other members of the 27-member State Executive Committee, including Comrade Dan Nyikwagh as State Secretary, Hon Tim Nyor as Public Secretary, Ibya Terkimbi as Youth Leader, and Mrs Alice Albert as Women Leader.

In his acceptance speech, Adaji expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support from party members and vowed to restore the party to prominence in the state. “We are ready to hit the ground running and will immediately set up a reconciliation committee to address internal disputes and strengthen the party’s unity,” he said.

The confusion surrounding the locked secretariat adds to the mounting challenges the PDP leadership faces in Benue State as it seeks to regain political control in the state.