- As zoning arrangement tears party
Sequel to the loss it suffered in the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2015 governorship election, the Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been putting its house in order while boasting that it will reclaim power in the state, come 2019.
The PDP appeared to have put the APC on its toes and was striving to achieve the set goal until recently, when the party lost focus and the once cohesive unit seems to be in disarray. The party is now torn apart against itself and its centre could no longer hold, no thanks to an ‘unholy’ zoning arrangement that is now bedeviling the umbrella-symbol party.
The PDP is set to conduct congresses in all the five organs of the party; ward, local government, state, zonal and the national levels. This is by far one of the most outstanding party functions that prepare the ground for an effective electioneering.
It is considered foundational because there lays the strength of the party; and if the foundation should have any crack it becomes a bad signal that their aspiration and desire to retake power in 2019 would have been put on crutches.
Notwithstanding the bitter loss, the party intends to use the forthcoming congresses to reposition itself and show its readiness to reclaim power in 2019, as such the Plateau State chapter of the PDP zoned the chairman of the party to the northern senatorial district of the state.
The central zone will produce the deputy chairman while the South will get the secretary. With the zoning arrangement, it is believed that the 2019 governorship ticket of the party has been moved from the northern part to the southern part of the state, aimed at ending series of agitation that cost the party the defeat of the 2015 governorship election.
Saturday Telegraph checks show that some party members, stakeholders and aspirants have welcomed this move and felt the zoning strategy would bring unity back to the party and also encourage aggrieved members who had defected to the APC, while some are questioning the rationale behind the zoning arrangement.
Those against the idea argue that it is not in the party’s constitution and that it is continued impunity to scheme them out of the contest. Already there have been accusations and counter-accusations over alleged imposition of a former Minister of Sports, Hon. Damishi Sango, who is one of thechairmanship candidates, as he hailed from the northern part of the state where the seat has been zoned to.
The supposed imposition of Sango was said to have been done at a meeting held in Dwei, Jos South Local Government Area of the state. But despite the zoning arrangement that favours them, some party faithful from Riyom Local Government, where the former minister hails from, are not in support.
Saturday Telegraph gathered that candidates in the area have decided to contest for positions of their choice, as they are prepared to break the rules and dare the party to disqualify them. Five persons from the northern zone had initially indicated interest to contest the chairmanship seat, but observers say they have been tactically edged out to pave the way for Sango.
Those who had indicated interest to contest include former Commissioner for Works, Hon. Chris Hassan; onetime member of the House of Reps, Hon. Bitrus Kaze; a former Accountant General of Plateau State, Mr. Suka Boyi and Hon. Philip Asanato Adik.
A chairmanship candidate of the party, Hon. Philip Adik during a press conference in Jos, disagreed with the arrangement while standing his grounds to contest the elections. Adik said the party is about to put its unpleasant past behind and looking forward to pursuing its philosophy towards enhancing democratic ideals based on equity and justice, but regrets that the ugly trend of imposition seems be rearing its ugly head and wants to put the PDP in jeopardy again.
“It is very okay to support a candidate and quite in order to exercise one’s constitutional right to adore that candidate, but it is always sensible to exercise such rights moderately and wisely especially for a party that is in opposition and aspires to take over mantle of leadership.
“It is for these reasons that I condemn in totality the decision taken on March 31, and further wish to state that the decision is not in line with the PDP constitution on zoning which places such powers with the State Executive Committee (SEC).
“Therefore, that decision is null and void and not binding on me and my aspiration. I also wish to state in clear terms that I am still in the race for the PDP chairmanship position in the state”, said Adik.
However, the immediate past governor of the state who is now representing Plateau North in the National Assembly, Senator Jonah David Jang, who had been alleged of being behind the imposition has exonerated himself from the zoning crisis, noting that as an elder statesman he would support whoever emerges as the chairman of the PDP in the state.
Jang in a press statement signed by his media aide, Clinton Garuba, said it was imperative to set the records straight and avoid the antics of a few people who wish to use falsehoods and deception to sway unassuming party members.
The statement explained that following the failure of PDP in the state in the 2015 election, Jang had called for meetings of stakeholders to resolve the internal crisis in the party and to forge the way forward.
“During all the meetings that held, Jang had made it clear that all those contesting for positions in the next Executive Committee of the party were eminently qualified and possess the qualities to lead the party to victory in 2019, as such, he had no preferred candidates and would work with whosoever emerges as the Chairman and other EXCO members.
“As a loyal and disciplined party member and one of the elders of the party it was in the interest of the party not to support anyone before the congresses but work with anyone who emerges”, the statement reads.
Another chieftain of the party, Hon. Ayuba Pam Dangwong, also disagreed with the imposition idea and was of the view that party leaders do not only need to rethink their actions but must have a reflection on what went wrong in 2015. “Before and well after the decisions taken, some believed the party fell into the hands of a highly syndicated cabal that rendered the party ineffective at all levels.
And we cried. “Take it or leave it, Plateau State today is at crossroads. The unexpected happened last year. A state that had been voting PDP since 1999 suddenly voted out a PDP government, suggesting something went wrong.
“Foreclosing any reasonable thought, any neutral objective analyst would naturally ask, what went wrong? Who is to be blamed? Why and how? Many have proffered answers to these questions, but the truth remains that, majority of the Plateau people have pointed accusing fingers on the establishment or the authority.
“The simple answer is that it was the imposition and failure to respect the feelings of the people of the state and the manipulation of a clique that cost PDP the governorship”, Dangwong said. As for a former member of the House of Representative, Bitrus Kaze, who is also vying for the chairmanship seat, the zoning arrangement is a bid to get some of them out of the contest . Kaze said:
“A few persons are going about insinuating that I wouldn’t have complained if the purported attempt to zone the chairmanship seat to Riyom had favoured Jos East. Even if it favoured Jos East, what if this bad precedence is furthered by the local government chapter of the party to further zone the seat to an electoral ward other than the one I hail from?
“The principle of zoning as propounded by the founding fathers states that ‘in pursuant of the principles of equity, justice and fairness, the party shall adhere to the policy of rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices and it shall be enforced by the appropriate executive committee at all levels’.
“On Tuesday 29th March 2016, the SEC being the relevant level of the party in the instant case, approved the zoning of state chairmanship seat to Plateau North not Riyom. If the appropriate level to enforce the zoning of the state chairmanship were a senatorial zone, why didn’t Plateau North chapter of the party zone the seat to Riyom or any other area ahead of the SEC? The SEC has resolved that no senatorial district can override its decision in the name of consensus.
“Now that the PDP NEC has zoned Nigeria’s presidency to the North come 2019, are they suggesting that it will be justified for the 19 northern states to further zone the presidency to Kano or Katsina states?
Isn’t it mischievous that the very people who canvassed against the zoning of the state chairmanship in the first place, are turning round to accuse people of jettisoning the idea? “In any case I have not jettisoned zoning, I accept the zoning of the chairmanship as approved by the SEC, being the appropriate body to enforce such zoning. This is what informs my decision to pursue this contest to its logical conclusion”.
On his part, Senator representing the Southern Senatorial District of the state at the National Assembly, Senator Jeremiah Useni, while speaking in Langtang was full of praises for the party and the efforts so far made to correct the mistakes of the past, as he urged his people to continue to remain loyal to the PDP.
Useni asked for complete loyalty from party faithful in his constituency, saying the leaders are currently trying to correct the past mistakes and pleaded for their understanding respect for leaders.
“Let there not be any rancour during the congresses and whoever wins should be celebrated and whoever loses should join hands with the winner. PDP will capture all the chairmanship seats in the coming local government elections, so always ensure peace and continue to work for the party”, he said, advising members to maintain discipline as they strive to get the PDP back to enviable heights.
Source: Newtelegraphonline