Benue Obidients Debunk Defection Claims, Blast PDP Propaganda Machine

DDM News

Benue, Nigeria – Obidient members and Labour Party supporters in Benue State have pushed back against claims that over 500 defectors have returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), calling the report a calculated political propaganda aimed at misleading the public.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reports that the alleged crisis in the Benue chapter of the ADC emerged days after the appointment of former Senate President, David Mark, as the party’s interim national leader.

Mark, who recently dumped the PDP, had cited unresolved internal disputes for his decision.

According to reports published by Daily Post, the ADC’s recent internal disagreements began in Ogbadibo and Okpokwu Local Government Areas, where long-time Labour Party and Social Democratic Party (SDP) loyalists accused the PDP bloc of trying to hijack the ADC’s leadership structure after their mass defection.

Party insiders claimed that the defectors from PDP were allegedly lobbying for control over key party positions, leaving core ADC and Labour-aligned members sidelined. “They want to corner all the juicy positions and leave us with irrelevant roles,” one insider stated.

In Otukpa and Owukpa communities, tensions reportedly worsened as disillusioned members expressed regret over their move to the ADC, citing betrayal of trust, poor coordination, and the marginalization of existing structures.

A former local government ex-officio, Sunday Agbo, voiced frustration over broken promises. “They told us we would retain our positions, but when the interim committee was announced, none of us were considered,” he said.

He added that even individuals who had defected to the APC were given top slots in the ADC’s new leadership committee, fueling anger and distrust among recent joiners.

However, in a swift reaction, several Benue-based Obidient coalition members and grassroots Labour Party groups have debunked the defection narrative entirely, asserting that the story is being peddled to distract from the growing popularity of third-force movements in the state.

Speaking anonymously to DDM, one Labour stakeholder in Orokam described the report as a “well-scripted falsehood designed to confuse voters and weaken anti-establishment forces.”

Another party youth coordinator in Okpokwu dismissed the claims of 500 returnees to PDP as “mathematically and politically impossible,” stating that the ADC never had that number of decampees to begin with.

They stressed that most genuine Labour Party and Obidient-aligned individuals in Benue are still aligned with efforts to build a credible third-force alliance, including the ADC, but not under hijacked structures.

They further accused certain ex-PDP leaders of using the ADC platform as a temporary vehicle to negotiate their return to power rather than pursuing meaningful political reform.

Political analysts in the state have also expressed skepticism about the supposed “mass return” to the PDP, calling it a potential media stunt to revive the image of a fractured party and discredit emerging alternatives.

As the 2027 election cycle approaches, political observers warn that misinformation, power tussles, and structural realignments will define the contest for influence in Benue and beyond.

Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) will continue to monitor developments across party lines as the opposition in Benue State navigates turbulent waters ahead of the next electoral cycle.

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