Benue PDP Holds SEC Meeting, Ratifies Suspension Of Ortom, Others
MAKURDI – The Benue State Executive Committee (SEC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has affirmed the suspension of the immediate past Governor of the state, Chief Samuel Ortom and three others.
Sources within the party who said the suspension of Chief Ortom and the three others was ratified by the SEC alongside the State Working Committee (SWC), Local Government party chairmen and State Assistant officials of the party at an emergency meeting, details of which would be made public on Wednesday.
The decision to suspend the former governor and other officials of the party was taken at emergency meeting convened by Sir John Ngbede at the party secretariat in Makurdi on Tuesday.
Others that were allegedly suspended alongside Ortom are the Deputy chairman, Isaac Mffo, the State Publicity Secretary, Chief Bemgba Iortyom and Azua Anshongo.
But reacting to the decision of the party to oust Ortom out of the party, the Media Aide to the former governor, Terver Akase, declared the meeting null and void, even as he insisted that Ngbede and the two others, stand suspended.
While the meeting passed a Vote of Confidence on Sir Ngbede, the party chairman said, said that the SWC that allegedly suspended him do not posses the powers to do so.
Ngbede who spoke to newsmen shortly before the commencement of the meeting said, “Do they have the right to suspend me?. The say I am suspended but you can still see me here (in his office at the party secretariat).
“And we have also suspended some of them, maybe that is why they are not here. They don’t have the powers to suspend me. I am a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party and the Constitution is very clear on that by virtue of Section 59 sub section 2.
“It is only the State Executive Committee (SEC) that can even suspend other members of the SWC and the NEC, of which I am a member are the only ones that have the right to suspend me. So some people cannot gather themselves somewhere, forge people’s signatures and say that they have suspended me.
“The position of the party is very clear before you convene any meeting; it is the state chairman of the party who can convene the SWC meeting of the party and if I fail to convene the meeting, two-third of the members can write to me (chairman) that they need to convene a meeting and it is only after I refuse to do that, that they can go ahead to do any other thing. In this case nothing of that sort happened.
“We have rolled out our suspension of some of the members who carried out anti-party activities against the party and they have also been suspended.
“The SWC is responsible for the suspension of the former governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom and others. It’s only the SEC that can ratify such, so we are holding a meeting and maybe we can decide to ratify such.
“There is no crisis (in the party). Our tenure is over so we are ready to leave so that others can come in. But anyone that thinks he wants to take the leadership of the party by force is what we are resisting. The party belongs to nobody; the party belongs to the people; allow the people to feel the impact of this congresses so that they will know that they participated in electing either their ward chairman, secretary or whatever.
“The LG congresses is supposed to be on Saturday and other normal circumstances we are supposed to call the LG party chairmen and brief them about what is expected of them during the LG congresses and you that what they want to do is to push me out and have their way in the next congress.
Earlier, the former governor of the state, Chief Samuel Ortom who reacted through his Media Aide, Terver Akase who stated that the meeting was null and void, insisted that Ngbede stands suspended.
He advised Sir Ngbede and the others to avail themselves to the Disciplinary Committee and should not stifle the party.
According to Akase, “PDP has its conflicts resolution mechanism so that is why when members err or violate the party’s rules and regulations they are sanctioned. So it is advised that the three suspended persons avail themselves to the disciplinary panel as they were advised.
“This things are done at all levels. Instead of trying to stifle the party they should approach the disciplinary committee and explained or answer the questions. In other words they should respect the suspension placed on them and avail themselves of the conflict resolution mechanism in the party by appearing before the disciplinary panel.
“Chief Ortom has not been suspended. He is the leader of the party in the state and any meeting that is called or going on without his consent is null and void. Moreover, who called that meeting because the chairman of the party in the state, John Ngbede, the Secretary and the Organizing Secretary were suspended.
“They were all suspended by nine out of 13 members. Nine out of 13 is close to 90 percent and they have been placed on one month suspension, based on the suspension and so they don’t have the power to convene meetings at whatever level.”
He further stated that “Ortom has not been suspended because the man who signed that suspension letter was suspended at the time he signed that letter. So he didn’t have the powers to sign any suspension. So whatever meeting they are holding is null and void because they do not have the constitutional rights to convene a meeting of the party.
“The PDP in Benue state do not have a faction. Chief Ortom is the leader of the party in the state. The chairman, John Ngbede, who is suspended now, his suspension began yesterday and it will run for one month. In his place, the acting chairman, Mr Isaac Mffo, who is the Vice Chairman, is now the acting chairman of the party.
“So if the meeting of the party is to be convened, it should be in consultation with the leader of the party and that meeting will be presided over by the acting chairman of the party. So any meeting that is going on and is not called by Isaac Mffo is null and void.
“I insist that John Ngbede stands suspended and his suspension started running yesterday. There is freedom of association under the Nigerian constitution, so he can meet with anybody”, he observed.
•INDEPENDENTNG.