Former governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom, through his lawyer, Mr. C.T. Mue, has threatened to sue the PDP disciplinary committee headed by High Chief Tom Ikimi over alleged violation of the party’s constitution and the cybercrime act.

In a letter addressed to the committee and dated February 11, 2025, Mue also demanded a written apology and withdrawal of statements made against the former governor within 48 hours.

The letter read in part: “We act as legal representatives to His Excellency, Dr. Samuel Ortom, on whose behalf we write this formal demand. Our attention has been drawn to the Press Release issued by the National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dated 5th February 2025, which publicly announced an inquiry into alleged Petitions against Our Client. This public notice has caused reputational harm and violates fundamental principles as enshrined in Section 57 of the PDP Constitution 2017 (as amended) and Section 24 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 thus:

“1. Violation of Section 57(4); Section 57(4) of the PDP Constitution mandates that where an allegation is made against a member, the Disciplinary Committee must inform the member in writing about the allegations against him and the date, time, and venue of the hearing.

“Despite this clear provision, Our Client was not formally notified of any allegations in writing before the Press Release was issued. This constitutes a gross violation of the provisions of the PDP Constitution.

“2. Violation of Section 57(7) Section 57(7) of the PDP Constitution clearly states that no Executive Committee at any level, except the National Executive Committee (NEC), shall entertain any question of discipline relating to members of the National Executive Committee, Deputy Governors, or Members of the National Assembly. Our Client falls under these categories. Thus, the National Disciplinary Committee lacks the jurisdiction to entertain any disciplinary action against them, making the purported inquiry procedurally defective and unconstitutional.”