Chidinma Iroegbu
Former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Torwua Suswam, has formally resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), citing the party’s prolonged internal crisis and deepening structural failures.
Suswam announced his decision in a resignation letter dated February 4, 2026, addressed to the PDP Chairman in Benue State, effectively ending decades of association with the opposition party.
Describing the move as painful but inevitable, the former senator recalled that the PDP provided him the platform to serve Nigeria at various levels of governance.
He noted that his political journey under the PDP spanned key offices, including membership of the House of Representatives, two terms as Governor of Benue State, and service in the Senate.
Suswam expressed gratitude to the party for the confidence, opportunities and support he enjoyed over the years, saying those experiences shaped his public service career.
However, he lamented that recent developments within the PDP had made his continued membership untenable and inconsistent with his political ideals.
According to him, the party has remained trapped in unending leadership disputes, organisational instability and unresolved ideological divisions.
He said repeated reconciliation efforts and assurances from party leaders had failed to deliver lasting solutions, leaving the PDP in a state of perpetual internal turmoil.
Suswam argued that political parties should serve as platforms for ideas, policy engagement and democratic advancement, rather than battlegrounds for factional conflicts.
While he refrained from disclosing his next political destination, his exit has stirred fresh political calculations ahead of the 2027 general election, fuelling speculation about a possible return to the Benue North East senatorial race.