Security personnel on Friday averted what could have been a bloody clash between members of the factions of the Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, who have daggers drawn over the party’s leadership tussle.
The party in the state, like in most others, is divided between the leadership of the National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and the National Caretaker Committee headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi.
Speaking to journalists at the Solomon Daushep Lar Amusement Park on Friday, the Sheriff faction, represented in the state by Hon. Gyang Badung, said: “We are here this morning to address party loyalists on the recent development officially written to the security on the meeting taking place today at the Secretariat, but the other aggrieved group mobilized errant youths armed with dangerous weapons to disrupt the meeting.”
Badung explained that he officially wrote specifically to host the party’s members across the 17 local government areas of the state, “but unfortunately the other group is not loyal to the National Chairman, whom the Appeal Court has declared the authentic chairman of party”.
Badung disclosed that they were at their party secretariat to conduct a peaceful stakeholders meeting only to be distracted by some miscreants allegedly sponsored by Makarfi’s faction loyalists.
He further described the former Minister of Sports, Hon. Damishi Sango, as a political contractor hired to disrupt PDP right from the days of former Governor Joshua Dariye.
According to him, Sango masterminded the political crises.
Badung said: “Well, I am standing as the state chapter chairman sworn-in by Senator Sheriff and Sango only came to cause disaffection to blackmail Sheriff, while in Abuja, but in Jos he embraced him, claiming to support him.
“We are not ready to take violence, so we assure our supporters that very soon we shall resume at the state chapter secretariat.”
Badung said the well celebrated state Congresses that produced Sango was dissolved by the National Chairman for irregularities and over-voting, “so we are calling on the Plateau PDP supporters to advice Sango to stop parading himself as the state chairman”.
But Sango in his speech to his supporters, who were allowed into the party secretariat, told journalists that Plateau State youths were taken by surprise that the secretariat was sealed by security agents because of misinformation by some group.
He applauded the security agents for their resilience and commitment to safeguarding the lives and properties of the citizens, adding: “We understand that some people came to invade our office, for which the security were drafted to the scene.
“We are democratically elected for tenure of four years through democratic process.
“I ask those aggrieved members who are claiming ownership to serve us notice of their impeachment in a proper way.
“I don’t want to believe that Sheriff is responsible, but it is a few mischief makers.
“PDP is a dependable party.”
Sango however accused some politicians of sponsoring crisis to scare them from conducting local government election.”
Its was gathered that the State party headquarters was besieged for several hours by the Nigerian Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Services and others security agencies to prevent break down of law and order.
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