PDP needs visionary leaders, not ‘moneybags’ – Suswam

Former Benue State Governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, has stated that for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to regain its political strength ahead of the next general elections, it must prioritise visionary leadership and credible candidates over wealth and political imposition.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, Suswam criticised the current state of leadership within the PDP, describing it as deceitful and disorganised.

“What we need in PDP, first and foremost, is transparent leadership at the national level, which will now translate into state leadership. We don’t have that. It’s all about deceit,” he said.

Suswam argued that while PDP remains a party with widespread national structures, its influence has diminished significantly due to poor internal governance and a loss of public confidence.

“This is a party that has structure all over the country. Because of lack of good leadership, that has diminished substantially,” he added.

Highlighting the issue of candidate selection, the former governor warned against the trend of individuals using wealth as the sole basis for presidential ambition.

“Because some people have some little change here and there, people have little money in their bank accounts, each and every one of them wants to run for president. That is what is happening,” he said.

He urged aspirants to assess themselves honestly and seek support from the people, rather than rely on influence or endorsements.

“If I assess myself and I feel that I don’t have the support, I will not go. But people just don’t want to contest. They say, ‘well, it is because this one wants to contest, so we don’t want that.’ That is not the way party politics is run.”

Suswam also weighed in on the ongoing confusion surrounding the office of the PDP National Secretary. When asked who currently holds the position, he responded sarcastically, “Ask the Supreme Court.”

He criticised the judiciary for failing to provide clarity on the matter.

“We expected the Supreme Court to have been very expert, that is the last court in the land. If there’s confusion and the people move to court, and you throw the thing back to them, that’s a problem,” he said.

According to him, the Court of Appeal had earlier declared Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the valid Secretary, but the Supreme Court failed to give a definitive ruling, instead referring the matter back as an internal party affair.

“We expected that the Supreme Court would have been more definite than they were. Because they were not, there’s more confusion,” he said.

Suswam concluded by saying the matter would ultimately be settled by the PDP National Executive Committee (NEC), whenever the meeting is eventually held.