A viral report on blogs, social and mainstream media claims that the State Working Committee of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Benue State has collapsed its structure and joined the Labour Party (LP).
On Wednesday, July 13, 2022, Peter Obi Grassroots Mobilization had tweeted via the handle, @PO_GrassRoots, “BREAKING: The Benue State SDP chairman John Enemari, has decamped with all its members in the 276 wards and 23 local govt areas to Labour Party. Benue State is now #OBIdients.”
The tweet as of the time of filing this report had garnered 2,834 retweets and over 11,000 likes.
Verification
Independent checks by Daily Trust revealed that in the last few days, rumours were rife that a factional Benue State chairman of the SDP, Enemari, issued a statement directing all party members across the 276 wards and 23 LGAs of Benue State to dissolve into the LP.
Enemeri blamed the crisis rocking the SDP at the national level and indifference of the national secretariat to the plight of members of the party in the state for his decision and urged members of the party at all levels to immediately move to the LP.
He said, “The crisis at the national level has destabilised everything about the SDP in all the states of the federation and it has created crisis and factions and we cannot continue to suffer for them particularly here in Benue SDP just like we suffered for the party in 2018/2019.”
He also maintained that, “No kobo was sent to us to work for the party; and by the party’s constitution, we were supposed to get not less than N75 million from the sale of forms in accordance with Section 72(2) but the people in Abuja sat on it.”
He added, “In a party if you don’t win elections, what do you do? Now they are in court, let them continue. Benue is not a revenue yielding state for them.”
According to him, the LP candidate is a young man that has done very well in his constituency.
Enemeri also said he had consulted with all other parties but that didn’t work, noting that “since we did not have a governorship candidate, we have decided to give our full support to Labour Party in Benue State.”
But in a statement on Wednesday, the Vice Chairman of SDP in Benue State, Emmanuel Ibyabya, dismissed the report of collapsing its structures for the Labour Party in the state as Enemeri claimed, describing the report as false and mischievous.
He said, “It is expedient to put on record that if it is the same John Enemari that we know, he was suspended by the party in January 2022 and later expelled at the National Convention of the SDP on 8th June, 2022 and has seized to be a member of SDP.
“He therefore lacks the locus standi to act even as a member of the party. That John Enemari has been expelled from office as a disloyal and unfaithful party man, whose leadership was turning a pestilential hair on the skin of the party and his superiors is no longer news as this can be verified from the Independent National Electoral Commission and the SDP national secretariat.
“Following his suspension and later expulsion; instead of showing remorse to rebuild his lost integrity, the former chairman decided to embark on mischief and unfruitful attempts to recruit elements with the aim to dismember the party.
“As a sad venture, Enemari purportedly went further in the desperate attempt to convince one of the political parties of a planned defection with large followership, which, again failed on distrust.
“While the state chapter of the Social Democratic Party is not interested in his political voyage, we wish the unsuspecting public to know that the SDP is not in talks or has contemplated alliance or merger with any political party.
“SDP has since concluded its primary elections and the names of all candidates are well published by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and this information can be verified from the Benue state INEC offices.
“The party is convinced of expected victories in the 2023 general elections as all of its candidates are credible and reliable enough to give the party the desired victory.
“We however know that as a drowning politician, Enemari is desperately in search of anything to grasp and save face and might deceive any political party or person that does not know him well.
“Let it be known that no member of the SDP has joined Labour Party or any other political party and we urge our members and sympathizers to be watchful, resolute and determined for victories in 2023.
“SDP remains united and committed to social justice. The State Working Committee as well as members of the party are fully behind the state chairman.”
Also, the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Shehu Gabam, said, “There is no truth in the merger story. Enemari was expelled from the party. He is no longer a member of SDP as we speak.”
Conclusion
From the foregoing, it is clear that Enemeri’s claim of an alliance between the SDP and LP in Benue stands truth on its head. Hence, the claim that SDP structure in Benue had collapsed into LP is contentious and controversial.
This fact check was done in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD).
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