The Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State is shifting attention to internal reorganisation, with former Governor Samuel Ortom urging party officials, stakeholders and aspirants to take part in a new electronic registration exercise he says will shape participation in future primaries.

Ortom, who spoke on Sunday at an expanded caucus meeting of the party in Makurdi, said the exercise will begin on Monday and run for two weeks, as the party works to update its membership base ahead of the next electoral cycle.

According to him, the move has become necessary because only members holding the new party card will be recognised in the process leading to the primaries, making the registration exercise a key step for those hoping to contest or vote within the party.

He explained that the current legal framework for party primaries has changed the internal political landscape, saying the Electoral Act now requires political parties to rely on direct primaries or consensus, rather than the delegate-based approach previously used.

In that context, Ortom called for wider mobilisation across the local government areas, arguing that a strong and verified membership register will determine how effectively the party can organise itself and compete in 2027.

He also used the meeting to defend the emerging cooperation between the PDP and the APC in Benue, saying leaders in the state were responding to concerns over governance, insecurity and underdevelopment, which he described as issues too serious to ignore.

Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro backed that position at the same meeting, saying the partnership is being driven by a shared goal of rescuing the state, while urging members to support whoever emerges through the party’s internal process once the registration and nomination stages are concluded.