Benue: Former PDP chairman, Gemade joins APC

Indications emerged weekend that the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Banabas Gemade has concluded plans to join the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC.
This was done to realize his re-election bid in the Senate.
Idoma Voice reports that Gemade, one of the founding members of the PDP, who represents Benue North East Senatorial District had announced his withdrawal from the PDP’s senatorial primaries, which is scheduled to take place tomorrow.

He claimed that the process was being hijacked by the State Governor, Gabriel Suswan.
An insider hinted Vanguard that Senator Gemade may likely pick the APC form on Monday to contest the senatorial election in the zone.
The close source further disclosed that Gemade who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on National Planning will join forces with the former governor of the state and Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume to ensure that APC captures the state in 2015 general elections.
The source claimed that Senator Gemade decided to leave the PDP because the National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP, turned down the list of his (Gemade) delegates and recognized the governor’s list, which he claimed were allegedly written in the comfort of his Anyiim, Logo country home, Benue State.
Earlier, Gemade in his withdrawal letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu dated December 2nd, 2014, with the title “PDP primary elections for Senate 2015-withdrawal”, lamented the lack of transparency and level playing field in the way and manner the party’s primary election is being conducted.
“As a founding member of this party in 1998 and indeed the leader of the Conveners in Benue State, I am pained by these developments and I want to put on record my feelings even if there is no result arising from it.
“At least, the history of my service as convener, member national steering committee, member Executive Committee (NEC), member National Working Committee (NWC), member Board of Trustees (BOT), National Chairman and Chairman National Caucus should count,” his letter read in part.