Suswam Quits PDP for APC as Internal Crisis Deepens, Two Taraba Senators Defect
Former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), blaming persistent and unresolved internal conflicts within the party. He is expected to formally join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) today.
Suswam’s defection comes amid a wave of high-profile exits from the opposition party. On Tuesday, two senators from Taraba State — Haruna Manu and Issa Shuaibu Lau — defected from the PDP to the APC during plenary of the Senate.
The defection letters of the senators were read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who announced their formal acceptance into the ruling party and directed Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele to receive them. The move further alters the political configuration of the 10th Senate.
In their separate letters, the Taraba lawmakers cited extensive consultations, lingering internal crises within the PDP, and the desire to better serve their constituents as reasons for their decision.
Their defection follows closely on the heels of Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, who formally dumped the PDP for the APC last Saturday. Political observers see the senators’ move as an effort to align with their governor, now the APC leader in the state.
Meanwhile, Suswam, in a letter dated February 4 and addressed to the PDP Chairman in Benue State, said his decision to leave the party was taken after deep reflection.
The former governor acknowledged the opportunities the PDP gave him to serve as a member of the House of Representatives, Governor of Benue State, and Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, expressing gratitude for the trust reposed in him over the years.
However, he lamented that the party had become engulfed in persistent disputes over leadership, structure, discipline, and ideology, with no clear roadmap for resolution.
Despite several interventions and public assurances, Suswam said the PDP has remained in a state of dysfunction, operating in perpetual crisis without a consensus-driven solution.
“As a committed democrat,” he noted, “it has become difficult to reconcile my continued membership with my personal convictions and my desire to contribute meaningfully to nation-building within a stable political framework.”
He added that political parties should be platforms for ideas and constructive engagement, not arenas for internal warfare.
Suswam said he had therefore chosen to step aside, wishing the PDP well in its efforts to resolve its internal contradictions. He urged the ward chairman to accept his resignation and convey his appreciation to party members for their shared political journey.
Later on Tuesday, Suswam registered with the APC at his Mbagber Ward in Anyiin, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State, marking his formal return to the ruling party. Read More
