A former Governor of Plateau, Mr Fidelis Tapgun has blamed the selfish interest of individuals involved in the running of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as responsible for the crisis within.

Tapgun who was also a former ambassador to Kenya spoke over the weekend reacted to a disclaimer about his membership of the party while insisting that he still remains a bona fide member of the party.

A former Governor of Plateau, Mr Fidelis Tapgun has blamed the selfish interest of individuals involved in the running of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as responsible for the crisis within.

Tapgun who was also a former ambassador to Kenya spoke over the weekend reacted to a disclaimer about his membership of the party while insisting that he still remains a bona fide member of the party.

He said “The crisis that has been bedevilling this party is about this ‘grabbing’ and ‘grabbing’. People want to take the party as a personal property and it is against the philosophy of the party. This is what the national secretariat of the party is fighting against.”

The former Governor added that the Ekwueme led reconciliation committee of which he was a member encountered the same problem when it went round the states. He said that people are trying to personalise the party and make it a personal empire so as to dictate to others.

Tapgun said that he was happy that the President and national chairman of the party were putting things in place to tackle the issue saying, “this party belongs to the people and it must go back to the people. It is lack of internal democracy that has been killing this party and this has to be reversed.”

He kicked against the advertorial placed by the Plateau PDP in some national dailies disassociating him and two others members of the Electoral Sub-Committee for the special convention of the party.” I am a full-fledged member of the PDP. I have done all I need to do to return to the party by returning to my ward as directed by the national secretariat. You are familiar with all that went wrong with the party that made some of us to leave the PDP, he said.”

By Henry Johnson

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Bad leadership responsible for crisis in PDP – Tapgun