Benue: aggrieved members stall PDP LG congresses

By Folorunsho Alagbede

Protests by aggrieved members stalled the Local Government congresses of the Benue State Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).
The protests followed alleged alteration of the list from the last ward congresses and diversion of congress materials.
There has been confusion in the party since the inconclusive ward congresses in July.
It was gathered that the list from the ward congresses that was released to party stakeholders in Makurdi on Friday did not tally with was collated at the wards during the congresses.
There was a charged atmosphere at the party secretariat with large presence of security operatives deployed to prevent breakdown of law and order.
Several youths suspected to be political thugs converged at the secretariat, chanting solidarity songs.
Distraught party stakeholders and members had kept vigil at the secretariat awaiting the arrival of the electoral officials from the national secretariat in Abuja.
The conduct of the recent congresses at the ward level has generated so much confusion and heat over the gale of suspensions and counter suspensions of members for anti-party activities.
After a very long wait by members of the party secretariat in Makurdi, pandemonium broke out when electoral officials arrived from Abuja.
Fight broke out as the officials were prevented from distributing materials for the conduct of the local government congresses.
Members of the party demanded for the list of candidates for the local government congresses and results of the last ward congresses which the officials could not produce.
The electoral officers from Abuja were chased out of the party secretariat by protesting members.
The caretaker chairman of the party, AVM Napoleon Bali and members of his committee fled the secretariat in a convoy to an unknown destination.