August 03, (THEWILL) – Many of the members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Jos South local government area of Plateau state have protested to the State Party Chairman in his residence in Jos over what they termed “irregularities and manipulations” of last week’s ward congresses in the area.
The Jos South PDP faithful, who turned out in hundreds, got to the Rayfield residence of the State Chairman, Hon Chris Hassan, as early as 8 am, before a detachment of the party followership from Bassa local government arrived in the same protest mode to register their grievances over lack of internal democracy and no level playing ground in the same party congresses in the area on July 27, last month.
Led by the local government PDP Chairman, Dung Tare, the Jos South PDP complained of high-handedness and sharp practices by some of the Party moguls, who allegedly sat in some private places and generated names of their cronies to be inaugurated as ward executive members and ad hoc delegates.
The chairman and other authoritative party sources from Jos South noted that of the twelve federal wards in Jos South, congresses were conducted successfully in only six, as efforts to do the same in the other six were frustrated by some obvious plans by some power brokers in the party who are determined to use sharp practices to go against popular choices and install their cronies in other to gain unfair control of the Party at that level.
The Jos South PDP chairman said they were in the State Chairman’s residence to put him in the know of the injustice being perpetrated by some undemocratic forces, who appear determined to inflict some exodus on the party and reverse the gains made by the party in the recent past which culminated in the huge success it recorded in the 2023 general elections.
Addressing newsmen after a meeting with the State Chairman, the Jos South chapter Chairman, Dung Tare, said they have been able to report all the intrigues and plots by some power brokers in the party within the local government to the State Chairman, and noted that it is neither enough nor celebration time for the teeming party members in Jos South until they see the State chairman implementing measures that will ensure fair play ground and equal justice.
Reacting to the visits and other developments arising especially from the wards congresses, the State Party Chairman, Chris Hassan, said “No member will defect from or leave the Party because the umbrella is big enough to accommodate all”, also noting that because of the huge followership and attractive state of the Party presently everybody wants to belong, and as such there will be a clash of interests one way or the other.
Hon Hassan rather observed that the said congresses were a remarkable success as the consensus option saw a successful outcome of the exercise in fourteen out of the seventeen local government areas in the state, adding that, as at press time the congress appeals committees and other stakeholders platforms were at work to strengthen the outcomes of the congresses and position the party to win the forthcoming local government elections.
Hon Hassan, and later the Secretary to the Government of the State, Architect Samuel Jatau, commended the State Governor, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang for anointing any candidates and for providing an uncommon level playground for the people to determine and produce their leadership at all levels.
