Taraba: PDP elders forum allege plans by moles to jettison 23 years old understanding
Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The PDP Taraba Northern Zone Elders Forum on Monday alleged that there are plans by ‘agent provocateur’ and moles within the PDP truncate the 23 years success story of the party by jettisoning the age long zoning arrangement of the party in the state.
Alhaji Abdulrazaq Musa, the pioneer Chairman of the PDP in Taraba State who addressed a press conference in Jalingo in company of other members of the forum said that if allowed to go unchecked, the development could adversely affect the fortunes of the party ahead of the general elections.
“Here with me are representatives of all the Elders in the Party from the Northern Zone of Taraba State. The Elders Forum of the PDP in Taraba North has observed with grievous concern the increasing disquiet and continuous onslaught on the sensitivity of loyal members of the Party, particularly those of us who are founding fathers that have kept faith with the Party since its formation twenty three (23) years ago, occasioned by the wild allegations making the rounds about some ulterior plans to jettison the Rotational Governorship Arrangement established by the State Chapter of the Party ahead of the 2007 general Elections.
“While it may be convenient to wave the allegations as spurious, the Northern Zone Elders Forum is deeply worried about the implications of silence on this matter which is fast causing disaffection among members of the PDP and unnecessarily overheating the polity with all the attendant consequences on the success of the Party in the forthcoming 2023 Elections.
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“The forum views the moves as ill-motivated handiworks of ‘agent provocateur’ and moles within the PDP who are bent on reversing the twenty-three years’ success story of the PDP in Taraba State which is unrivaled by any other State in the entire Northern part of Nigeria.
“Consequently, we want to draw the attention of the leadership of the PDP in Taraba State to this uncanny and sinister motives of certain elements within Party to cause disaffection among members and undermine the Party by attempting to jettison an established arrangement to which senior stakeholders, all members of the State and National Assembly were signatories and which in fact facilitated the election of His Excellency, Arch. Darius Dickson Ishaku in 2015 and re-election in 2019, fore-closing the Party’s Ticket to all Aspirants from any Zone other than the South, including an immediate former acting Governor of the State.
“We call on all Aspirants to the Office of the Governor from the Northern Zone to close ranks and work assiduously in harmony, eschew politics of bitterness, to ensure mass mobilization that is devoid of rancour for the success of the Nomination Exercise so as to ensure that one of them cling the PDP Ticket.
“We further implore all Statutory and ad-hoc delegates from Taraba Northern Zone and indeed the Central and Southern Zones, that are participating in the Party Nomination to always refer to the Rotational Governorship Arrangement agreed upon ahead of 2011 Election and vote only for any Northern Taraba Aspirant of their choice” Abdulrazaq said.
The Leader, Norther Select Group of the PDP in the state and former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Simon Shinpu who spoke in solidarity with the forum said that it was in the interest of the party to maintain the zoning arrangement so that other zones would not feel shortchanged.
Our correspondent reports that the issue of zoning has taken the Centre stage in the political landscape of the state with various groups clamoring for return of power to the Northern Zone after the Central and Southern Zones have had their own shot at the governorship
