MAKURDI: Gabriel Suswam, former governor of Benue state, has resigned from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), citing persistent internal crises and unresolved leadership disputes within the party.
In a resignation letter dated February 4 and addressed to the chairman of the PDP in Mbagber ward, Logo LGA of Benue state, Suswam said the decision was taken after deep reflection.
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 state, and as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the letter reads.
For these opportunities and the trust reposed in me at different times, I remain sincerely grateful.
Suswam said the party, which once symbolized cohesion, internal democracy and progressive opposition, has become plagued by persistent and unresolved internal conflicts.
According to him, disputes over leadership structure, discipline and ideology have been allowed to linger without a clear or credible pathway to resolution.
The former senator said despite repeated interventions, reconciliatory committees and public assurances, the PDP continues to operate in a state of deep internal dysfunction.
He described the party as being perpetually trapped in crisis mode an institution in political intensive care, with no consensus diagnosis and no agreed treatment plan.
Suswam said as a committed democrat, he finds it increasingly difficult to reconcile his continued membership of the party with his personal convictions and desire to contribute meaningfully to nation-building within a stable political framework.
Political parties must serve as platforms for ideas, discipline and constructive engagement, not arenas of endless internal warfare, he said.
Regrettably, the current state of affairs within the PDP no longer aligns with these ideals.
He said he considers it honourable and necessary to step aside, while wishing the party well should it eventually resolve its longstanding internal contradictions.
Suswam served as a member of the house of representatives from 1999 to 2007, governor of Benue state from 2007 to 2016, and senator from 2019 to 2023 all on the platform of the PDP.
