Former Governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam, has identified Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed and acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ambassador Umar Damagum, as the two main figures responsible for the deepening crisis within the opposition party.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV, Suswam, a prominent PDP stalwart, said it was unfair to place blame on former Rivers State Governor and current FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for the turmoil rocking the party. According to him, the party’s leadership had failed in their responsibilities and had entered into questionable agreements with Wike.
“Damagum is the biggest problem we have in the party. And Bala Mohammed, as chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, has been guiding him,” Suswam said. “He’s not doing his job. As far as the PDP is concerned, Bala is the de facto president of the party, because governors are now the ones funding and sustaining it.”
The former governor criticized the PDP leadership for failing to uphold agreements made during two meetings held with Wike in Lagos and Abuja. He claimed that these meetings, which involved top party leaders, were held in secrecy and excluded other critical stakeholders.
“If Bala and Damagum had done what was expected of them, there’s no way we’d be having this kind of confusion within the party. Their actions show bad faith and a lack of sincerity. It’s wicked,” Suswam stated.
He expressed frustration that agreements reached with Wike during those meetings were concealed from other members of the party, including former and serving governors who were later invited to a general meeting without being informed of prior negotiations.
“The FCT Minister even confirmed it—he was invited and agreements were reached in Lagos and later in Abuja at a former Senate President’s residence. Yet, when we were summoned to a wider meeting two weeks ago, none of this was disclosed to us,” he revealed.
Suswam warned that the PDP’s problems stemmed from a fundamental lack of leadership capacity and transparency at the highest levels.
“How can a political party thrive on secrecy and broken agreements? If there’s no integrity and consistency at the top, the party is bound to crumble,” he said.
In a surprising twist, Suswam voiced support for Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State over his rumored move to the All Progressives Congress (APC). He said Eno’s concerns about the PDP’s internal chaos and legal vulnerabilities were valid.
“Governor Eno said something very reasonable—that he doesn’t want to remain in a party where, after winning an election, technical issues like improper endorsement of nomination forms could be used against him,” Suswam said. “I agree with him completely. These kinds of things have happened before.”
Suswam’s remarks underscore growing tensions within the PDP, as the party continues to grapple with internal strife, loss of cohesion, and defections to rival political platforms.
