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From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last Saturday concluded its state congress, which ushered in a new executive council and announced its readiness to retain the governorship seat in 2027.
The party in Plateau cannot forget in a hurry the events of the past, which denied it a place in the state and national legislature, as the party lost all the senatorial, House of Representatives and state assembly seats following its inability to conduct a proper congress to enable it to have a legally constituted state executive.
But for mother luck, the state would also have lost the governorship seat. It was however able to escape because the governorship election case ended at the Supreme Court.
Conscious of this fact, the party appeared to be doing everything to avoid the shibboleths of the past and escape any legal tango by putting its house together and conducted a state congress, which produced a 38-man exco, led by a veteran politician, Raymond Dabo.
At the congress, which was held at the expansive WAYE Foundation, in Doi-Du, Jos South local Government Area, the atmosphere was convivial, devoid of any bitterness and rancour, signalling a party that is ready to take its destiny into its hands.
Right from the gate, the orderliness was obvious. Though the candidates emerged by consensus, the delegates from all the 17 local government areas of the state lined up to vote for the affirmed candidates in accordance with the constitution of the party and the Electoral Act, 2022. The electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was constitutionally represented while the Chairman of the Electoral Committee was Dr. David Ombugadu, who was the party’s candidate in the 2023 governorship candidate in Nasarawa State.
Setting the tone for what to expect, Governor Caleb Mutfwang described the election as a milestone in the history of the party, noting that it reflected the unity, and maturity among the members of the party. He acknowledged that although the zoning process initially generated some disagreements, the peaceful resolution of those differences underscored the maturity and cohesion within the party. The governor also appreciated aspirants who stepped down in the interest of unity and the greater good of the PDP.
In an obviously elated tone, Mutfwang said, “Since I joined the PDP, this is the first State Congress we are holding without a contest. With this, we have demonstrated our commitment, loyalty, and readiness to work together as one family. I sincerely thank all the local governments for their cooperation.”
Even though there appeared to be some grievances over the zoning arrangements, the manner this was managed excited Mutfwang who said, “I want to thank those who may feel shortchanged or believe they were not given the chance they deserve. Because of the common interest of the PDP, you chose peace over grievance. I am confident that this new set of executives will lead our party to victory in 2027. The time for exclusion is over; our focus now is unity. I assure you that those who are truly for us will stay. Together, we will approach 2027 as one united family,” he added.
However optimistic as Mutfwang would sound of the readiness of the party to retain the governorship seat, political analysts are of the view that the number of top members of the PDP that have left the party and will formally be received by the ruling party on November 15, is definitely a minus in PDP’s march towards the 2027 general elections.
But Mutfwang dismissed such pessimism and expressed confidence in the resilience of the PDP in Plateau State to weather the storm.
He said, “I heard that some people have left. We are waiting to see the day they will go with the crowd they claim to have. Plateau is PDP, and PDP is Plateau. We will remain connected to the people and continue working for their collective good.”
This optimism was also echoed by the Secretary to the Government, Samuel Nanchang Jatau, who said that Plateau is roaring to go with the conclusion of the state congress and emergence of a properly conducted state executive council of the party.
Jatau said, “Plateau is PDP and PDP is Plateau and so we are not entertaining any fear. We have overcome the first hurdle and we have the people of Plateau on our side.”
Former Governor Jonah Jang could not hide his excitement when he stated that the success of the election demonstrated the bond between PDP, Mutfwang and the people of the state.
Jang said, “Governor Mutfwang’s commitment to democratic principles and party unity has been crucial in achieving this. It is also noteworthy that his efforts have fostered an atmosphere of trust and confidence, reflecting the trust placed in him by the people of Plateau State.
“This Congress, widely regarded as peaceful and where all candidates emerged largely through consensus, demonstrates the strong bond between Governor Mutfwang and the people of Plateau State. The impressive turnout of party supporters in the thousands indicates that the people who voted him into office in 2023 remain firmly behind him and will again support him in 2027.”
While congratulating the governor on the peaceful outcome of the election, Jang said Mutfwang’s leadership and dedication ensured a free, fair, and credible congress for the PDP
The outgoing Caretaker Chairman, Chris Hassan, said that the PDP will repeat the feat it achieved in the 2023 general election when, under their stewardship the PDP produced a governor, two senators, five members of the House of Representatives, and sixteen members of the Plateau State House of Assembly until the Appeal Court’s decision.
Secretary of the executive committee of PDP, Hon. Michael Dachom, was very upbeat about the outcome of the election and the future of PDP in Plateau State.
He said, “I think the future is good for PDP and I believe we’ve been able to overcome the obstacles and the challenges that we went through in the last two years. With this new set of exco, I believe that the future is good.”
Dachom said that the election was properly conducted in accordance with the constitution of the party and electoral guidelines. He said that little disagreement that arose over the rotation of elective positions was amicably resolved.
The new secretary also refused to believe that the number of defections from PDP would affect its chances in the 2027 election and expressed confidence that those that left the party will definitely find their ways back following the unity achieved with the election of the new exco.
He also hinted that the new exco will set up a reconciliation committee to find out what their grievances were and attempt to find a common ground.
While agreeing that everybody is at liberty to associate with any political party of their choice, Dachom said, “the constitution guarantees free entry and free exit and every individual has the right to belong to where they choose. As with democracy in Nigeria, you can’t stop people from defecting but as much as people are defecting from our party to another party, there are many others too that are coming back to our party. Even though no shepherd will like to lose any of his sheep. So it’s incumbent on the new exco to go back to the drawing board to ascertain what actually are the reasons why people are moving.
“As the government in power, it’s our wish to maintain our position and ensure that there shouldn’t be any serious opposition on the Plateau. But if people are truly moving from our party to another party, I think it is a call for us as a new exco to sit down and go back to a drawing board.
“You recall this is not the first time for some of us to be in that office. I was in that office as Organising Secretary and I served for eight years. Of course, during our own time, things were not quite like this but again we don’t really know what actually happened but of course we are going to do our best to make sure that even those that are left, will definitely come back because I think the land is not green on the other side. You know it is only when you decide to send your first wife away thinking that you are going to marry a new wife before you know that you are running into a very big, bigger problem.
So, for us I’m calling on those that are leaving or those that are even intending to move to think twice because I think with this new set of exco, I believe that we are going to do our best to make sure that everybody’s interest is accommodated.”
Even as these optimisms were being expressed, the big question on the lips of every politician is whether Governor Caleb Mutfwang is going to remain in the party till 2027.
However, Dachom allayed the fears of members of the party. He said, “I am happy you know the politics of Plateau, even during the first republic, you recall that when the national government was led by National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Plateau was Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP), led by Chief Solomon Lar. So, today the history has never changed. You know Plateau people are very unique people. You see, they believe in this PDP and that PDP is Plateau and Plateau is PDP.
“All we are saying is that there is a new era now in Plateau PDP and I enjoin all Plateau people to join the wagon before the train leaves the station. The locomotive engine is ably piloted by Governor Caleb Mutfwang and assisted by an equally able state exo led by a veteran politician, Raymond Dabo. With these men, Plateau is in safe hands and we are ready for 2027,” Dachom said.
