By Peter Duru

MAKURDI — The crisis rocking the Benue State chapter of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has taken a turn for the worse as elders and leading members of the party in the state have accused the state chairman of the party, Dr. Emmanuel Agboanti of anti-party activities.

In a communiqué, issued at the end of a one-day PDP stakeholders’ meeting held at Idekpa, Ohimini Local Government Area of the state, the party leaders, made up of former state and council chairmen of the party, former local govern-ment council chairmen, elders, councilors and youth leaders, “condemned in very strong terms the activities of the state party chairman”.

Agboanti’s “sins”
Reading the resolution of the aggrieved leaders of the party, a former acting military governor of old Oyo and Ogun states, Col. Agbo E. Adokwu (rtd), regretted that the actions of the state party chairman has left the party in chaos and at the brink of a precipice in Ohimini Local Government Area.

They cited a development in which the state chairman, through the instrumentality of the party machinery, appointed caucus members of the party in Ohimini under the chairmanship of Gen. Lawrence Onoja (rtd) leaving out all leading and founding members of the party in the state, comprising two former PDP state chairmen, local government council chair-man, local government party chairmen and councilors.

The aggrieved party leaders further decried the role played by the state party chairman in a meeting they alleged he endorsed Gen. Onoja to run for the Benue South Senatorial Zone as Senator contrary to the position of the people of the area, after creating parallel ward executives in the area. They stressed that his actions has succeeded in factionising the party in Ohimini Local Government Area.

Gov Suswam’sintervention
They regretted that despite the intervention of Governor Gabriel Suswam in the matter through a committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Chief Steven Lawani to amicably resolve the crisis, the party chairman has refused to respect that decision. They said his actions have elicited a yet to be delivered protest letter to the Governor in order to save the state and the Benue South zone from a looming crisis.

Also commenting on the development, a former Deputy Speaker, PDP state chairman and now Special Adviser to the Governor on Assembly, Chief Sule Audu, condemned the actions of the state party chairman.
When contacted, the PDP state party chairman, declined comments on the allegations, saying, “I don’t want to comment on such issues.”