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The Benue chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is currently enmeshed in a leadership crisis, as more than 500 members defeated to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) citing internal wrangling and broken promises.
The 500 members, who recently defected from the PDP have returned to their former party, days after leaving the PDP over leadership tussle among the National Working Committee (NWC) of the opposition party.
They returned to the PDP comes just days after the initial defection, which was seen as a major political gain for the ADC, especially following the appointment of former Senate President, David Mark, as the party’s interim national leader. Mark’s move had triggered a wave of defections in parts of Benue South, particularly in Ogbadibo, Okpokwu, Otukpa, and Owukpa.
However, the excitement was short-lived, as crisis erupted over the control of local party structures. Some founding members of the ADC, particularly those who migrated from the Labour Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), accused the new entrants from the PDP of attempting to hijack the party’s leadership in various local government areas.
“We were promised inclusion and equal treatment, but they want to corner all the strategic positions and leave us with nothing,” one aggrieved member from Ogbadibo said.
In Otukpa and Owukpa, discontent grew after the newly defected PDP members were allegedly excluded from interim committees, while some defectors from the All Progressives Congress (APC) were appointed to key positions. A former ex-officio member of the party in Ogbadibo expressed frustration, stating that their expectations had been dashed.
“They assured us that we would retain our positions, but none of us was considered. It was a betrayal,” he said.
The internal dispute quickly escalated, leading many of the defected members to abandon the ADC and return to the PDP. In Okpokwu, similar grievances led to widespread resignation of ADC members just days after their entry into the party.
Sources say the defectors returned to the PDP due to what they described as lack of transparency, failed negotiations, and a power struggle orchestrated by some local leaders of the ADC.
The development has cast a shadow over the ADC’s recent political momentum in Benue State and raised concerns about the party’s ability to manage internal cohesion ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Political observers say the crisis highlights deep-seated issues in the ADC’s structure in the state and could undermine its efforts to build a strong opposition front.
