PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY(PDP) PLATEAU STATE CHAPTER PLOT,20/22 YAKUBU GOWON WAY OPP NTA JOS

STATEMENT FROM THE IMMEDIATE PAST STATE WORKING COMMITTEE Of PDP PLATEAU STATE.

12th June, 2021.

DON’T TAKE US FOR GRANTED

SEC ASPIRANTS TAKING IT TOO FAR

Gentlemen of the press, we are very happy to address you this day on recent developments in the Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
As conscious, loyal and committed members of the party, it is incumbent on us to inform the general public about the true state of affairs in the state chapter of the party and also alert the National Working Committee on plans by the so-called SEC aspirants to instigate another fresh crisis to delay progress inspite of the clear, peaceful and unanimous resolutions agreed upon during the last Abuja meeting, where a duly elected state executive members agreed to sacrifice their offices for peace and unity to prevail. This has never happened anywhere in the history of the party, but just to ensure that the SEC aspirants, who wilfully refused to participate in the last congress out of fear, are treated as brothers and sisters.

There are presently clandestine moves by some of the SEC elements to forment another round of crisis and possibly cripple the party in line with the hatchet job to destroy it.

As you are aware, the Hon Chris Hassan led State Executive Committee willingly gave itself to be dissolved for fresh state congresses to be held if that will bring peace to the hearts of the SEC aspirants. This followed series of pleas and interventions.
The elected state exco has therefore been dissolved and replaced with an 11 Man State Caretaker Committee to be headed by Distinguished Sen Tunde Ogbeha to oversee the activities of the Party pending the election of a new State Executive Committee within 90 days commencing from Thursday 10th June, 2021.

We have reliably gathered, with facts and figures of how a governorship aspirant is bankrolling the SEC aspirants with huge sums of money to ensure that they disorganise the said agreement which was exclusively on the state congresses to raise fresh issues on ward/ LGA congresses to create a way for new negotiations. These were obviously not part of the Abuja discussions, but are being instigated so as to take the party back to square one.
This, they have started with another round of media lies and propaganda to deceive the public and cause acrimony.
While we believe the Caretaker Committee will not tolerate this, we want the general public to be properly guided and not misled by the desperation of the SEC aspirants. We want to reiterate and make it very clear, that the ward/ LGA congresses were not part of the resolution adopted at the last Abuja meeting.
The dissolution of the elected exco was not done by the National Working Committee, neither was it done nor recommended by the National Reconcilation Committee headed by former Senate President, HE Senator Bukola Saraki. It was a sacrifice from the outgoing exco to end the lingering court litigations when the leader of the SEC aspirants, Hon Bitrus Kaze stood up to say he will continue with his court case regardless of whether some positions were ceaded to his group. It was at this moment that we agreed to set aside the exco and conduct fresh one if that is what they believe will appease them. Individual votes of confirmation and acceptance were administered by Saraki himself and commitments obtained from about 95 % of those present , and thereafter it was loudly announced that a caretaker committee be put in place to conclude work on the ongoing party preparations for the Chairmanship/ Councillorship elections and prepare the state for the repeat state congresss within 90 days. It has nothing to do with wards and the LGAs.
In actual sense,the SEC aspirants are nothing but a sponsored set of compromised people who are basically out to give the party a bad name.
With the consensus dissolution of the state exco, they thought they can advance further to manipulate new issues, but we will like to warn that we are aware of their nefarious objectives and therefore ready to contend them fire for fire.
The likes of Macham are advised to know that all such sponsored writes ups have reached a bus stop. If he wants to be the party’s spokesman, he has diminished himself already as someone not fit to occupy the office. It is for decent and honourable men and not for just anyone who can be used to write. It is for men with quality content and tested character.

At this juncture, we will like to appreciate the National Working Committee of our great Party (PDP) under the able leadership of Prince Uche Secondus and the National Reconciliation Committee headed by former Senate President H.E Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki, for the great work they are doing in reconciling warring party members across the country and repositioning our great Party towards winning future elections at all levels.

We are also appreciating the tremendous efforts of the leader of our great Party in the North Central Zone H.E Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State for the support and encouragement towards reconciling the party in Plateau State.

We want to appreciate our leaders and elders, HE Distinguished Senator JD Jang, Distinguished Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Distinguished Senator JT Usieni, our National and State Asssembly Members led by Distinguished Senator ID Gyang and Rt Hon Beni Lar and the only surviving Langtang North LGA Chairman, Hon Ubandoma Joshua Laven for their tireless efforts towards resolving the impasse.

We also appreciate the rare and exceptional sacrifice of the Hon Chris Hassan led State Executive Committee for their willful consent to vacate office in the interest of peace and collective good of the Party in Plateau State, as well as the critical stakeholders of both groups for the acceptance of the formation of the Caretaker Committee to chart a noble and acceptable path towards a peaceful and smooth fresh State Congress election that will usher in a brand new State Executive Committee of the Party in Plateau State. If it were the SEC aspirants, they would never have made this great sacrifice for the party.

It is therefore unfortunately satanic and devilish for the so called SEC asipirants to seek to destroy all the gains recorded in Abuja, by starting another round of fresh crisis as soon as the State Caretaker Committee assume office.
One of their plans is to continue issuing press releases as seen by the press statements issued by Hon Bitrus Kaze and Mr Emma Macham, today, 12th June, 2021 to confuse the innocent public and probably manipulate the mindset of the Caretaker Committee to accommodate new issues that may favour them.

The press releases by the duo, are desparate attempts at creating dissention and diversionary issues to derail the Abuja resolution and cause animosity amongst the ranks of the party.

Instead of them to recognized and appreciate the doggedness and great efforts put in by the NWC and the reconcilatory committee and critical stakeholders of the party in the State towards amicable resolution of the crisis, they prefer to hold the party to ransom, hence their resort to peddling lies, mischief, blackmail and disparaging State and National leaders of our great party.
It was the same Emma Macham, who unfortunately wants to be the spokesman of the party, that kept disparaging the Distinguished Senator Suleiman Adokwe led former Caretaker Committee with lies and defamatory statements, and has plan to continue the mischief with the intent to intimidate the Senator Ogbeha CTC again. This time, it shall not be treated with levity anymore.

It is worthy to note that both Emma Macham and Hon Bitrus Kaze as well as members of the so called SEC aspirants were part and parcel of the illicit Hon Nandom Exo led parallel State Exco where they issued several press releases rejecting the appointment of the Hon Gwott Yakubu Chocho led State Caretaker Executive Committee by the National Working Committee and even dragged the State Caretaker Executive Committee and the National Working Committee before the Federal High Court Jos, challenging their authority to appoint State Caretaker Committee. The case is still pending.

Their real motive is not the 29th August,2020 State Congress election that were peacefully conducted, but to cajole the NWC to dance according to their whims and caprices and make them members of the State Executive Committee by all means.

To them, it is either they are in charge of the Party in Plateau State or there is no PDP in the State. They have made it clear that they will make the party pay dearly for the ouster of their ally, the former State Chairman Hon DT Sango who mismanaged the party’s goodwill in the 2019 general election.

Everyone can now see very clearly that the members of the so called SEC aspirants have never been part of the PDP since 2019, but kept collaborating with the APC. They worked against our candidate Rt Hon George Daika in the recent Plateau South Senatorial bye election.
They have never valued unity and inclusiveness and have always isolated themselves from the activities of the mainstream Party with the sole aim of giving the party a bad name.
It is laughable and insulting to our sensibilities for the so called SEC aspirants to now, acknowledged the relevance of our elected State and National Asssembly Members that have always been a subject of ridicule to them and appealing to them to support the State Caretaker Committee when they have never recognized the State Executive Committee of which the same State and National Assembly Members were part and parcel of.
Therefore, they can not sell a dummy with the aim of deceiving any serious and genuine party Member.

It is a pity and big shame that the group which has been using the few pending Court cases to mislead the unsuspecting party members and the NWC, now wants to set an agenda for the CTC.

As a matter of fact, it is only 2 LGAs, (Jos North and Jos South , with some few Wards) out of the 17 LGA’s that the Courts ordered for fresh LGA and Ward Congresses and in Kanam LGA, both Ward and LGA Congresses are yet to be held.
The so called SEC aspirants group deliberately failed to acknowledge that a High Court had ruled affirming the Ward and LGA Party Congresses of Wase LGA held on 7th and 23rd March, 2020 respectively, because it didn’t favour them. As we speak, the substantive case of the LGA Party Congress of Kanke LGA is yet to commence. Only one Ward (Bwall), in Quanpan LGA, had an issue which had since been resolved amicably and there is no any other Court case in Quanpan LGA.
In Shendam LGA, only two Wards Yelwa- and Shendam Central had issues.
So where are the so called flurry of pending litigations affecting the Wards, LGA’s and the State Chapter of the Party again after it’s dissolution as being peddled by Hon Bitrus Kaze and Macham?

The SEC aspirants should not carry their luck too far in believing that all the pending Court cases will go their way. They should wait patiently for the outcome.

Their claim that they are not fighting anyone but impunity is totally a fallacy considering their antecedence and roles played since the exit of Hon DT Sango. They never accept or agree to see anything good in the party as long as they are not in control. But we shall never allow them destroy our party, neither shall we allow them any breath to cast aspersions on it.

Hon Bitrus Kaze lacked the moral proprietary to question or blame anyone of impunity. Why the PDP is in the opposition today in Plateau State is largely to their nefarious roles. It is a well known fact that Hon Kaze worked against the party in 2015 on account of zoning only to come back in 2016 to seek to be the State Chairman. He was roundly rejected.
The so called SEC aspirants group have been mocking our party leaders including all our State and National Assembly Members since the dissolution of the State EXCO.

It is important for the group to know that the issue of the State Congress election of 29th August,2020, is what necessitated the dissolution of the Hon Chris Hassan led State Executive Committee and the creation of the Caretaker Committee.

It is a willful consent of those in office which must be appreciated as a sacrifice for peace and unity of the Party in Plateau State. It was not their so call press releases and media lies and propaganda that led to this development.

Not every LGA and Ward has an isssue and therefore, the litigation in Court will determine that.
The so called SEC aspirants group must not seek or try to seek to intimidate anyone on the obvious issue at stake and the general Stakeholders agreement to repeat the State Congress election.

Anyone with Ward or LGA litigation should wait for their outcome in court. There are LGA’s whose litigations are even yet to be heard or instituted in Court but yet the so called SEC aspirants group have gone to give judgement in their wild imaginations.

So therefore, civility, nobility and honourability must be the watch word. The so called SEC aspirants group is not a law Court to itself.
We want to make it very clear to them that no amount of falsehood, propaganda, deception, lies, and mischief can give birth to any new issue.
They can not put something on nothing.
Because Emma Macham is having problems in his Bokkos LGA , his self acclaimed State Chairman Hon Bitrus Kaze struggling in his Jos East LGA and Hon Gombi, having challenges in his own Kanke LGA does not make it a State matter. They should go and sort their litigations.

And because some persons agree to sacrifice their rights for the collective good of the Party should not be taken for granted.
Its very clear that the sole aim of the so called SEC aspirants group is to destroy the Party as can be seen in the lies, but it is dead on arrival.

Enough is enough for the wise.

Signed:

Barr Binchen Jantur,
Immediate Past State Legal Adviser

And
John Akans,
Immediate Past State PRO

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Former Plateau PDP SEC Speaks on Critical Issues Surrounding Party, Urge Aspirants to Prioritize Party Interest