By Dater, Pekop Dawu

Barely 72 hours after the National Working Committee (NWC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) reconstituted a state caretaker committee to pilot the affairs of the Plateau state chapter of the party; expectedly laying to rest the protracted crisis that has rocked the party and caused it its worst nightmares in preceding elections, fresh crisis and confusion now hovers around the roof of the party in the state.

The newly reconstituted caretaker committee was charged with the sole responsibility of running the affairs of the PDP in Plateau state until a new executive committee is elected, for a period not exceeding 90 days (3 months). However, the newly reconstituted committee seems to have come fully mobilised and prepared to give the state chapter of the party a new set of democratically elected executive committee without further waste of time. This it did by proceeding with the state congress earlier scheduled to take place on the 29th August, 2020 by the Gwot Chocho-led caretaker committee which was dissolved for the newly reconstituted caretaker to take over.

Viewpoint gathered that the decision to proceed with the state congress was greeted with enthusiasm by a section of the party made up of some stakeholders and candidates aspiring to occupy various seats in the state executive committee alongside their supporters who thronged in, in their numbers to Langfield Leisure Park Reyfield, Jos to participate in the exercise. This decision, however, did not go down well with the other stakeholders, candidates and their supporters who threatened to boycott the congress arguing that it would not be a free and fair exercise citing myraid of unresolved issues arising from the ward and local government congresses, failure to screen some aspirants as well litigations pending in court among other issues describing the decision of the caretaker committee to go on with the congress as a calculated move to rig them out.

Meanwhile two members of the new caretaker committee, Prof Dimis Mailafiya and Hon Jacob Dashe have resigned their appointments. The resignations were communicated to the National Chairman of the party in separate letters signed by each of the duo of Prof Mailafia and Hon Dashe

“The contending issues are majorly bothering on the conduct of Ward and LGA Congresses, which if the new PLCC resolves will set the stage for a peaceful and acceptable State Congress. However, from our introductory meeting of 27th and the first main meeting of 28th, it is evident that the new PLCC was set to continue the execution of the errors that brought the crises. The endorsement to be part of the planned State Congress scheduled for 29th August, 2020 and to be facilitators without resolving outstanding cases at Ward and LGA levels, and without withdrawals of the pending court cases on same is against both the spirit and the letter of reconciliation and progress of which I am not convinced to be part of such a process.

“On this note, I write to humbly withdraw my membership of the newly constituted PLCC. Mailafiya’s letter reads in part

Hon. Dashe on the other hand noted that “in view of some developments in the state chapter of the party it is not possible for me to continue being a member of the committee. I hereby tender my resignation letter to you.”

As at the time of filing in this report, the election of the executive committee of the party was ongoing despite the fact that the aggrieved members and candidates of the party made good their decision to boycott the exercise. Many aggrieved members of the party are already threatening a mass defection if justice is not served.

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Deepening Plateau PDP Crisis–Fresh Confusion and Mass Defection Looms