A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Mr. Bemgba Iortyom, narrowly escaped death on Friday night after suspected hoodlums attacked him and set his car ablaze in Makurdi, the state capital.

The incident occurred just hours after Iortyom announced his appointment as Consultant on Media and Public Communications to the PDP in the state.

Iortyom, a former two-term State Publicity Secretary of the party, had earlier urged PDP stakeholders to support him in his new role, which he said was part of efforts to reclaim power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

In the statement announcing his appointment, he criticised the leadership of the state government, saying Benue must be “rescued from certain crash and destruction at the hands of a governor who took the steering wheel of leadership without even a learner’s permit.”