By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Benue State has collapsed its structures in the state into the Labour Party, LP, ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The State Chairman of the party, John Enemari who made this known yesterday while leading the members of the State Working Committee to the LP in Makurdi also directed all the 23 Local Government Executives and those of the 276 Council Wards to dissolve into the LP.

Enemeri who blamed the crisis rocking the SDP at the national level and indifference of the national secretariat to the plight of members of the party in the state for the decision urged members of the party at all levels to immediately move to the LP.

He said: “The crisis at the national level has destabilize everything about the SDP in all the states of the federation and it has created crisis and factions and we cannot continue to suffer for them particularly here in Benue SDP just like we suffered for the party in 2018/2019.”

Mr, Enemari who explained that the national office reaped closed to N100million from Benue SDP, in 2018, lamented that “no kobo was sent to us to work for the party; and by the party’s constitution we were suppose to get not less than N75million from the sale of forms in accordance with section 72(2) but the people in Abuja sat on it.

“In a party if you don’t win elections, what do you do. Now they are in court, let them continue, Benue is not a revenue yielding state for them.”

According to him, “the LP candidate is a young man that has done very well in his constituency, this is his fourth term in the House of representative; and once you mention his name they will tell you they know him. And my people have been calling me to enquire where I want them to go. I have told them that I met with Rt. Hon. Herman Hembe and we spoke, so I have told them that we are going to work with him.

“I had consulted with all other parties but that didn’t work. Since we did not have a governorship candidate we have decided to give our full support to Labour Party in Benue state.”

Welcoming the initiative, Mr. Hembe who was represented by his Senior Legislative Aide, Dr. Jude Nyor commended the said SDP leadership for identifying with Labour Party assuring them that they would be carried along by the party.