Makurdi — The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State has deepened, as the party stakeholders known as G-14 have informed the former governor of the state, Senator Gabriel Suswam, to resign his membership of the group if he so desired.
The G-14 was formed in 2015 and comprises PDP elders in the 14 local government areas of the Tiv ethnic block in the state with Suswam as co-chairman of the group.
The former governor had at a party stakeholders' meeting held in Makurdi last week announced that he had disbanded the group and promised to replace it with another group to be known as caucus members of the party with its members cut across the state.
The decision of the former governor to disband the G-14 may not be unconnected with the battle of supremacy between him and his successor, former Governor Samuel Ortom, over who controls the party in the state, which started during the ward congress.
Since Ortom left office in 2023, he has assumed the co-chairman of the G-14.
Responding to Suswam's announcement, the chairman of G-14, Laha Dzever, said the group is a voluntary, non-statutory body functioning in the PDP, and seeking to complement the work of the statutory organs of the party towards fostering unity, harmony and its continual growth.
In a statement issued yesterday, entitled 'G-14 Remains Intact and Committed to PDP,' Dzever argued that the "G-14, by its nature and formative history, is not in the ownership of any individual and thus cannot be so disbanded as Senator Suswam claimed to have done.
"Senator Suswam as a member of the G-14 can only resign his membership if he so desires but has no locus standi whatsoever to disband it."
Narrating how the group was formed, Dzever said: "When the PDP lost the governorship and Benue North- east and North-West Senatorial seats in 2015, the party was virtually in disarray. It was then that a group of elders led by Hon. Elder Ugba Uye in their wisdom formed the G-14 to save the party from eventual disintegration. Senator Suwam was also invited to join the group which he gladly obliged.
"That as is the established tradition, the Co-chairmanship status of the group rightly fell on His Excellency, Chief Samuel Ortom when he emerged as the leader of the PDP in 2018, and Chief Ortom remains the leader of PDP in Benue State and has since functioned in that capacity with utmost sense of responsibility and statesmanship.
"This remains to date the leadership structure operational in G-14 and the status of the group remains unchanged as a voluntary group of party elders drawn from the 14 local government areas of the Benue North-East (Zone 'A') and Benue North-west (Zone 'B'). As elder statesmen and women of integrity in the PDP, we are mindful of the unfortunate circumstances of the crises, which have fallen to a lot of our dear great party, PDP, lately, and do see a need now, as we saw in 2015 when we lost the governorship and two Senate seats to the APC.
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"The G-14 stood firmly and worked tirelessly and brought PDP back to power in 2019. The G-14 would therefore not relent in its efforts in rebuilding the party to reclaim power in 2027. It is our strong desire to continue to strengthen the common bonds which hold us together as a political family. We will at all times, tow the path of peace and oneness of purpose in the party. We are aware of Senator Suswam's contributions to this great party, the PDP, and as elders, we understand the pressures which the current crises in our party have occasioned on its leaders, Senator Suswam, inclusive. "We, therefore, understand that he might have made such remarks purporting to disband G-14 without thinking clearly enough through them. Under different circumstances, Senator Suswam as a lawyer, will be mindful that he is not either the PDP state Chairman or the National Chairman of PDP and he is not in a position to disband G-14 but only has the right to resign his membership of the group as earlier stated."
