Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Benue State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has thrown a jibe at the former National Chairman of the Party, Senator Barnabas Gemade describing him as a political nomad whose antecedent of insatiable appetite for political power makes him more of a disruptive influence wherever he goes.
Daily Sun gathered that the two-time erstwhile Benue North-East Senator had on Saturday decamped from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was said to have during the decamping ceremony which held at Gemade village, Mbajov, Mbawar council Ward of Konshisha local Government area of Benue State informed the public that his reunion with Senator George Akume to work as a team in APC had already sent a great panic to other Political parties in the state.
But reacting swiftly, the PDP described Gemade’s decampment as a charade adding that his (Gemade) political value is fast diminishing.
The PDP in a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, said it views with amusement the decamping to the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday of Senator Barnabas Gemade.
“Ordinarily, the PDP should not concern itself with an exercise which is a mere charade by well known perennial political nomads, however, considering Senator Gemade’s quoted statement at the decamping that his move to APC has sent jitters down the spines of PDP and other political parties in the state, it is noteworthy to state a few facts salient and relevant to the situation.
“Firstly, underscoring the irrelevance of this charade of a decamping is the loud question; As a former national Chairman of a ruling party, former Minister and former Senator, why was the Benue State Leader of the APC, Senator George Akume, conspicuously absent at the decamping ceremony yesterday?
“Was Senator Gemade’s diminishing political value not highlighted by his abysmally poor performance in his Senatorial re-election bid in 2019 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he lost even in his native Mbawar and placed third in the race behind a political greenhorn like Mimi Orubibi, after he had junketed from APC to PDP and then to SDP all in the space of a few months?
The PDP reminded Sen. Gemade that his party SDP has not won even a single councillorship seat in all elections since he joined the party in 2019 as it lost in all the polls he actively participated in last year.
“He ought to also remember that PDP won the governorship election, 3 senatorial seats out of 3, 7 House of Representatives seats of 11 and 23 Benue State House of Assembly seats out of 30. The party also has 23 elected council chairmen out of 23 and 276 elected councilors.
Iyortyom asked why PDP would be jittery when the former Chairman of the party was not a member of PDP when it emerged victorious in all of those elections.
“It is unfortunate that while politicians of Senator Gemade’s generation, like Senator David Mark, are retiring and leaving room on the leadership stage for their proteges, the septuagenerian is still embarking on political quests suitable for his children’s generation.
“Moreover, by his known antecedent, the erstwhile Benue North-East Senator’s insatiable appetite for political power makes him more of a disruptive influence wherever he goes.
“His current voyage into the APC is most likely ill-fated, as feelers indicate his motive is to wrestle the leadership of the party in Benue from Senator Akume whom he believes lost relevance following the party’s defeat to PDP in 2019,” the statement read in part.
The PDP noted that as a solidly grounded political party, it would not be distracted by mere gallivanting of nomadic politicians whose antics are well known to the electorate and won’t be taken seriously.
The statement further maintained that the party would continue to focus on guiding and supporting the Ortom administration towards delivering on its mandate to the people of Benue State.