130 Million Naira Campaign Funds : Suswam, Tarzoor at war

Terhemen Tarzoor

The party may soon be over before the arrival of the guests for the relationship between the Benue state governor, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Suswam and his intended successor, Hon. Terhemen Tarzoor, as there is no lost between the duo over funds for the campaign organisation.
According to a leader of one of the groups formed to

Gov. Gabriel Suswam

canvass votes for Tarzoor, the relationship between the duo is taking  a deep dive as Tarzoor is said to be uncomfortable with the way and manner campaign funds are released to the campaign team and groups.
This disagreement blxg gathered came to its climax yesterday when the governorship aspirant confronted Suswam to release the funds donated to the team during Friday's fund raiser. The funds which amounted to 130 Million Naira are alleged to be in the governor's custody for onward submission to Tarzoor and the Campaign team.
The incident which we have also gathered precedes an earlier disagreement between the duo over the huge debt profile to be inherited by the incoming government due to unpaid salaries and bonds acquired by the Suswam administration.  Tarzoor has been alleged to have plead with his boss to clear some of these which did not go down well with Suswam who felt the gubernatorial aspirant was prying too much into his affairs.
Our source has reliably revealed that there is a possible withdrawal of interest and participation of Suswam in the affairs of Tarzoor as he is beginning to be sceptical of the latter's plans after swearing - in,  as he now  sees a possibility of probes and investigations after his exit from office.

Benue: Gemade to take over APC leadership

Se. Barnabas Gemade

There are strong indications that former National Chairman and  Board of Trustees member of the  Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ),  Chief Barnabas Gemade,  who just decamped into the All Progressives Congress ( APC ), may be set 4 on take over the party's leadership from Senate Minority Leader, Sen. George Akume.
This move is not unconnected to Akume's disagreement with the national executive council of the party over his handling of party affairs and also the recent primaries in the state which has caused a lot of bad blood amongst party members.
The national executive council had directed that the Governorship ticket of the party

Sen.  George Akume

by given to Hon. Emmanuel Jime,  who was agreed by the remaining four contestants as their concensus candidate, to Akume's disapproval and thus has threatened to dump the party and also expose some dirty deals within the party.
However an insider who has hinted the league, said "the party is not scared of loosing Akume, because the man is more of a liability than asset and so his absence won't be felt". He further added that the party had already prepared Sen.  Barnabas Gemade to take his place even at the senate as minority leader and state party leader, even before the series of events and crisis instigated by Akume.
The source which also claims that the party is bent on replacing the minority leader with Gemade due to the former ' s mental health and public display of immaturity.  According to him,  the party has promised to release medical records of senator Akume's mental treatment in Germany as proof of his instability.
The party is also believed to be more comfortable with Gemade's candour and carriage as he is believed to be more responsible and orderly in his behaviour.
Meanwhile feelers from the state have it that the governirship candidate of the party is yet shrouded in mystery as the claimed declaration by Dr. Samuel Ortom was only a mere road show which has been attributed to the national Exco rejection of his candidacy for Jime.

Akume May be on his way back to the PDP

Sen. George Akume

Indications are rife that the senate minority leader Senator George Akume,  may be on his way back to the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ),  due to recent happenings in the party.
According to sources close to the Senator who is the kneaded of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ), in the state, his grouse with his party stems from the decision of the party's national leadership led by Sen. Bola Tinubu, to revert the impositions which he made during the latest party primaries.
The national executive council of the party had in recent times reverted certain nominations made by the Benue state chapter of the party, where candidates were imposed without proper or no elections at all.
Amongst this is the latest which has provoked the former governor's decision, is the submission of the party's governorship ticket to the concensus candidate of the five legal aspirants of the party, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Jime against the wish of Akume who preferred a PDP decampee, Dr. Samuel Ortom who was allegedly submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), without participating in or holding any elections as stipulated by the party’s constitution.
The party was said to have yesterday returned the ticket back to Jime after a closed door meeting, with national stakeholders of the party, where Akume was also directed to also relay the message of Ortom's rejection to him.
According to our source who is an aide to the National Chairman of the party, the meeting had in attendance,  Chief Oyegun,  Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,  Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Miss Banire and all the five aggrieved governorship aspirants from the state who willingly withdrew for Jime and openly expressed their undesire to work for the party if Ortom be impressed on them.
However Akume who jetted out of Abuja yesterday to Lagos was said to have been sighted entering the house of the national leader of the party in order to see Tinubu so as to upturn the decision and save face.
Meanwhile he has instructed the PDP decampee governorship aspirant to go ahead with plans for a formal launch of the governorship campaign while he seeks Tinubu's face. He has been quoted to be threatening to move back to the PDP if his place to Tinubu and Oyegun.