By M. Peter – Jos
Less than three days after the youths of the Plateau state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP tried to mend fences via a get together organised for the party stakeholders, fresh crisis is brewing in the party as two chairmen have emerged.
Supporters of the party clashed on Monday 16th December at the party secretariat in Jos, when a new chairman, Chris Hassan, emerged to take over from the acting chairman, Amos Gombi.
Some members of the State Executive Council were at the party secretariat very early in the morning for a meeting but pandemonium broke out as youths loyal to the acting chairman, Amos Gombi and those loyal to the SEC members who were in the said meeting clashed leading to gunshots allegedly being fired in the air to disperse the rowdy youths.
Although the acting chairman was said to have had knowledge of the said meeting, a chieftain of the party who did not want to be named said, “Gombi deliberately stayed away to sabotage the meeting because he knew what was to be discussed there.”
At the time of this report, calm had returned to the party office as armed security personnel who were seen patrolling the neighbourhood had left and the vicinity of the secretariat was deserted.
However, a former Speaker of the State Assembly, Emmanuel Go’ar told journalists at the state secretariat that what happened was “a coup” against the party as it was gathered that Gombi from the central zone has been replaced by Chris Hassan from the Northern zone who is expected to serve out the tenure of Damishi Sango who resigned less than two weeks ago.
Go’ar also from the central zone described the said removal of Gombi as “null and void and a failed coup purported to cause division amongst the peaceful people of Plateau State.”
Go’ar (second right) addressing journalists.
Accompanied by the deputy governorship candidate of PDP in the 2019 election, Dr. James Dalok, former state women leader, Hanatu Bugama, former commissioner, Na’Allah Mutbam among others, Go’ar stated, “We express concern that what happen this early hours at about 6am in PDP was orchestrated to disrupt the peace of the state chapter, so as an executive member of the PDP in Plateau state I have a stake in the entire effort to strengthen PDP.
“We woke up to hear that fresh plot of coup was going on by some of the members, we heard that by 6am a kangaroo meeting was going to be held on how to oust Gombi. The issue surrounding the crisis initially was brought to a close by the national secretariat, in which one of their condition was that Hon Damishi Sango should resign from the office which that was resolved.
“Then, the national secretariat urged those 16 members who wrote the petition to tender unreserved apology and the party reconcile themselves. They called on the state chairman Hon Damishi Sango to resign, and he did that by handing over the authority to Deputy Chairman. The purported meeting held this morning is hereby declare as null and void because the order wasn’t coming from the arrangement of the Ag Chairman of the PDP in Plateau state.
“I want to advise them to follow the rule of law, they use the same law to remove Dr. Haruna Dabin but now the law is not in their favour they want to bend it, we in the central zone, we are calling on the lawmakers to follow the position of law. They should follow the right channel and express their grievance rather than having a kangaroo meeting in the state to cause disaffection.”
Meanwhile, the Acting Chairman, Gombi has said he remains in office and had not issued any statement directing any such meeting saying, “My attention is drawn to a notice for State Executive Committee (SEC), purported to have been called at the instance of Mr. Emma Tuang, the State Secretary of the party, on Monday, 16th December, 2019.
“I hereby state categorically that I have not directed for the notice of such meeting, neither am I aware of the meeting. Our respected members of SEC are hereby requested to disregard such notice, and wait for an official notice for SEC or any other State Chapter meeting, please.”
When our correspondent contacted Chris Hassan on phone, he said, “I cannot be acting, I am the substantive chairman of the party” and dropped the call.
