By Lilian Madaki
August 30, 2020
Hon. Bitrus Kaze, Hon. Aminu Zang, 38 other candidates (under the auspice of Plateau State PDP EXCO Aspirants) for various positions in the PDP state congress in Plateau allegedly rescheduled for today have made their intention clear to boycott the congress if the national body of the party insists on conducting the exercise.
Mr Simon Jok, former acting National Legal Officer of party said that their decision was due to anomalies associated with congress.
Jok who is vying for the position of the Vice Chairman, pointed out some unresolved issues that should have been addressed before the congress.
Some of the unresolved issues includes, several court cases which he said “has to do directly with the congress”.
Jok stated that there were 13 cases at the state level and 66 in the local governments.
He wondered why the congress would go ahead when non of such issues were subsisting.
The vice chairmanship stated that the national secretariat had sent Gov. Samuel Ortom to of Benue intervene in Plateau situation in order to revolve the issues.
“We have a caretaker committee that its tenure has elapsed, Gov Ortom had suggested a neutral committee to be put in place to address these issues before an elective congress.
“But we are surprised that a congress was slated to hold tomorrow,” he said.
Mr Aminu Zang, a Chairmanship Aspirant said that apart from boycotting the congress, they would diligently pursue the cases to a logical conclusion.
“We are not going to be party or a part of that charade.
“We have been technically knocked out of a process that is supposed to be democratic.
“Less than 24 hours, we do not know who the delegates are.
“We calling on the national working committee of our party to reverse the decision to hold congress tomorrow and if they have send somebody, the should call the person back,” he requested.
Mr Bitrus Kaze, another Chairmanship Aspirant on his part emphasized that an appeal panel was not constituted to listen to complaints from the screening.
Kaze who is also Former two time member of the National Assembly, said that the aspirants were entitled to 48 hours to write the appeal panel whether they were satisfied with screening or not and the appeal panel needs another 48 hours to decide on the petitions.
Kaze added that it was also the practice in the PDP to release the names of state congress committee, at least three days before the congress, “but as we speak, we neither know the Screening Appeal Panel nor do we know the state congress committee”, he said. Speaking further, the former federal law maker stated that the 40 candidates do not know the list of delegates for the congress, “so we do not know who to take our campaign to”, he lamented.Hon. Kaze also alleged that even the state congress Planning Committee (a local committee) set up by the out gone EXCO and charged with the responsibility of arrangement for venue, entertainment, security among others has a campaign manager of one of the contestants for chairmanship as a member. “We believe firmly that we have been shortchanged. We will not partake in the charade because it has already been determined. We have already been taken to the slaughter slap. We can’t be part of that illegality”, Kaze stated.The State Party Chairmanship candidate said that if the national body of the party goes ahead to conduct the congress, it would amount to violating the resolution arrived at last week with the Governor Ortom’s reconciliation committee and they would have no choice than to continued their cases that were still pending in courts. He added that conducting the exercise will also violates an undertaking signed by the state Legal Adviser of the party in the State High Court (Pankshin Division) to the effect that the party will not conduct congress until a court case is heard on September 2, 2020.
The former lawmakers also expressed surprise as to why the national body of the party that set up a Care taker Committee and given 90 days to ensure that all legal matters were resolved before the conduct of the state congress will suddenly decides to conduct the exercise 48 hours after the committee resumed work.
SAWABIYANews 