Former Benue Governor, Suswam, Resigns from PDP

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and George Okoh in Makurdi

A former governor of. Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam, yesterday, resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

This was contained in a letter he personally signed and addressed to Mbagber Council Ward, Logo Local Government Area of the state.

Suswam said the decision to leave the party was not taken lightly, adding that the PDP had provided him with many opportunities in the past to serve the state and nation.

“For decades, the PDP provided me with a platform to serve the Nigerian people in various capacities. As a member of the House of Representatives, as governor of Benue, and as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“For these opportunities and the trust reposed in me at different times, I remain sincerely grateful,” he said, noting that the PDP was currently bewildered with unending internal crisis.

He said all efforts by men of goodwill to resolve the crisis had failed thereby leaving him with no option but to resign from the party.

“The party that once stood as a symbol of cohesion, internal democracy, and progressive opposition, has regrettably become plagued by persistent and unresolved internal conflicts.

“These disputes, spanning leadership, structure, discipline, and ideology, have been allowed to fester without any clear or credible pathway to resolution.

“In spite of repeated interventions, reconciliatory committees, and public assurances, the party continues to operate in a state of deep internal dysfunction.

“The PDP today appears to be perpetually trapped in crisis mode; an institution in political intensive care, with no consensus diagnosis and no agreed treatment plan in sight,” he said

Suswam further said as a democrat he found it difficult to reconcile his continued PDP membership with his personal convictions, political philosophy, and desire to contribute meaningfully to nation-building within a stable and functional political framework.

“I believe that political parties must serve as platforms for ideas, discipline, and constructive engagement, not arenas of endless internal warfare. Regrettably, the current state of affairs within the PDP no longer aligns with these ideals.

“I, therefore, consider it honourable and necessary to step aside, while wishing the party well should it one day find the courage and consensus to resolve its longstanding internal contradictions.

“Please accept my resignation and convey my appreciation to members at all levels for the shared journey over the years,” he said.

Although Suswam failed to state the next political party he was aligning with, he has been identified with the coalition of the opposition leaders, who adopted the African Democratic Congress, ADC as platform to contest the next election.

Suswam has been a very strong supporter of the Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia and observers have predicted that he might likely join Alia in the All Progressive Congress (APC).