From Tunde Omolehin, Sokoto
The Zamfara State Coalition of PDP Elders’ Support Group has hailed the decision of a federal high court that nullified the election of Dauda Lawan-Dare as the People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate in the state.
The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Musa Umar Dangulbi, also absolved the judiciary of any blame game on the decision taken by the Court.
The coalition aligned with Justice Aminu Bappa’s pronouncement that posited that the PDP in the state can not fill a governorship candidate for the 2023 general election.
The group described the party governorship primary as self-inflicted because of the arrogant disposition “especially, lack of unity, fairness and justice to the majority of our PDP supporters in the rural areas; especially old members that have laboured to keep the party united.
“We are ignored and abandoned by the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Dauda Lawal and some leaders of our great party in Abuja.
“We also laid the blame on the doorstep of a few elements in the party who are working hand-in-glove with Dauda Lawal, to thwart all reconciliation efforts, and cohesion towards unity in the party at the state level.
“The misfortune trailing our great party and its governorship candidate to the events that led to the annulment of the first and second governorship primary elections, where we wrote to the National Secretariat seeking their attention on the need for reconciliation within the party before the conduct of the congress,” he statement reads it part.
The group however recalled the event that led to the annulment of the primary, saying “some people in Abuja hurriedly organized the rescheduled PDP governorship primary without, the knowledge of other contestants.”
According to the group: “As a stakeholder, our group can confirm to you that, the majority of delegates from Gummi, Zurmi, Talata Mafara, Bukuyum and Anka local government areas, were nowhere the congress venue whereas, results were announced.
“Dauda Lawal on winning the make-believe primary election abandoned the party and relocated to Abuja and Dubai. Prominent Elders with greater respect like General Aliyu Gusau and many others are sidelined in the affairs of the party since Dauda Lawal, emerged as the governorship candidate.
“Worst of all, there is no personal presence of the governorship candidate to the party or the immediate family of our late chairman, who died recently. Dauda Lawal who was supposed to lead us in mourning over the death of our late chairman abandoned us in our grieving moment,” the group alleges.
It urged the party national chairman, Sen Iyorchia Ayu, to correct the anomalies the group had earlier raised, to restore unity and cohesion and absorb blame on the judiciary.