Chairman, Board of Directors of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Chief Ebitimi Banigo (left) listening to an explanation by the Regional Manager of Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, Mr Uche Nwanguma, when the FAAN board visited the airport, recently.

The existing factions in Plateau State Chapter of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) may soon cease to subsist as the National Secretariat of the party has concluded plans to investigate the allegations/grievances of the Chief Emmanuel Mangni-led faction (PDP II), The Tide reliably gathered. The Tide gathered that the party’s plans to investigate the allegations/grievances of Chief Mangni faction; dissolve the leadership of the factions and set up a caretaker committee in the state PDP, to steer the party’s ship in the state, pending when election (state congress) will be conducted. Meanwhile, The Tide learnt that Hon. Michael Dapalong, former speaker of the State legislature is likely to head the caretaker committee. A reliable source told The Tide that the PDP II faction had levelled about 25 allegations against governor Jonah Jang and the Prof. Shown-led state PDP, and submitted same to the Chief Vincent Ogbulafor-led National PDP. It will be recalled that the aggrieved members of the political party-led by Chief Mangni group, had earlier submitted a catalogue of grievances, which were believed to have been treated with levity. Consequently, the group broke away from the Prof. Shown-led party, describing its faction as the “authentic PDP”. A source which told Our Correspondent that the group was at the party’s Wadata close/street, Abuja to submit their “letter of catche”, and lobby, alleging that the National Chairman was not straight-forward in handling the issues. According to the source, “today he will say one thing, tomorrow he says a different thing”. One of the grievances of the Mangni group is that Jang is too highhanded, and never consulted with party members before taking decisions. But the state commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Gregory Yenlong recently fired back at the PDP II, saying that “Jang’s crime is that he was not ready to share money. He was reacting to the grand civic reception organized for Chief Joshua Dariye, the immediate past governor of the state, by the Mangni faction. Prof. Shown had also reacted to the reception, saying that no political party can use Dariye to win any election. The factional leader, who descried himself as second most experienced politician in the state, just next to Chief Solomon D. Lar, stressed that Chief Dariye was not “marketable”. Meanwhile, Dariye, whose suspension from the party has been lifted is believed to be fine-tuning his plans to go to the senate, an ambition that earlier generated the frosty relationship between him and former deputy senate president, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu. While Dariye planned to run for the senate after his governorship tenure, Mantu wanted to be in the senate for the third time. In the mean time, the two are in PDPII, as Mantu also has an axe to grind with Jang. Both politicians are from Plateau Central Senatorial District.