Mass exodus hits APC in Benue as serving lawmakers, others dump party for PDP

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, yesterday in Konshisha Local Government Area led the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the party’s ongoing onslaught against the All Progressives Congress (APC) to receive into its fold leading stalwarts of the opposition party at a decamping ceremony.

Governor Ortom accompanied by his immediate predecessor, Senator Gabriel Suswam; Board of Trustees Member of the PDP, Chief Mrs. Margaret Icheen; Benue PDP State Chairman, Sir John Ngbede; Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Titus Uba, Governorship aspirants on the platform of the party and many others, received the stalwarts and their throng of followers at a colourful ceremony attended by a capacity crowd.

Those received into PDP at the event were former two term member of the Benue State House of Assembly for Konshisha State Constituency, Rt. Hon. Shimawua Azaigba; former Executive Chairman of Konshisha Local Government Council, Barr Joseph Ahire; former Senior Legislative Aide (SLA) in the National Assembly Service Commission to Hon. Mrs. Dorathy Mato, Hon. Terkaa Ugba Alough; Uncle to Rt. Hon. Herman Iorwase Hembe, Elder Tyokula Achihi; Elder Tyokula Yainjo and Hon Engr Agan Aondohemba who ran for the governorship of the state on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

The harvest of such calibre of membership in Konshisha was a continuation of the operation by the governor to get the party into shape ahead of the 2023 general elections, a resolve he reiterated yesterday in Konshisha as he assured that PDP will take over power at the federal level come 2023.

Acknowledged by various speakers at the event, including Senator Suswam, Sir Ngbede, Mrs. Icheen and many others, as an astute and courageous leader, Governor Ortom stated that the greatest strength of the PDP lies in the performance of his administration, assuring that he is pulling all the stops to finish strong and keep the umbrella party well ahead of competition heading into 2023.

On current standing the Ortom led PDP onslaught in Benue State has seen the party so far harvest leaders and teeming membership at mega decamping events in over 10 local government areas across the 3 senatorial districts of the state, with the momentum still gathering towards peak levels.

Harvested into PDP in Benue during the ongoing onslaught have been the cream of the political leadership elite in the state including 3 term serving member of the House of Representatives for Gboko/Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. John Dyegh; serving member of the Benue State House of Assembly for Otukpo/Akpa State Constituency, Hon. Baba Odeh; the 2019 Senatorial candidate of the APC in Benue North-East, Chief Mimi Orubibi, former National and State Assembly members and candidates from the APC as well as top political leaders from the opposition camp.

In the midst of these, the emergence of President of the Senate in the 3rd Republic, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman of the PDP came as a decisive turning point in the fortunes of the party, marking the skewing of the political equilibrium in Benue heavily in its favour.

In contrast, APC in the state, while continually losing members to PDP, has also seen a drastic downturn in the fortunes of its leader, Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, whose bid to be elected National Chairman of the broom wielders party has continued to flounder as the powers that be in the party, from all indications, are looking away from him in making their choice for the position.

It is an open secret that palpable fear has gripped the Benue APC as the spectre of catastrophe looms over them should their leader lose in his bid for the National Chairmanship of the party, a bid which represents a sole lifeboat for them in the shark infested waters of post Buhari succession politics in the party.

A marked distinction between PDP and APC in the state can be seen in the decamping events being hosted by the two parties, as while those events by PDP have usually drawn mammoth crowds which are genuinely swelling the party’s ranks, those of the APC have been mostly poorly attended with rented crowds and poor logistical arrangements usually resulting in crisis at the end of each event.

Konshisha was another resounding success for the Benue PDP under the sure footed leadership of Governor Ortom, with many more such successes imminent to be recorded as the party continues on the march from one local government area to another across the state.

Bemgba Iortyom
For: Benue PDP Media CTU