The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) group operating under the aegis of ‘Plateau PDP Youths for Positive Movement for a Better Nation’ has reiterated that they would continue to stand with the position of the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, and the former Governor of the state, Jonah Jang on the right path to 2023 elections.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Plateau State, has been enmeshed in a crisis following the announcement by Jang, that he was pulling out from the campaign council of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Jang, alongside other party members loyal to Governor Nyesom Wike, recently pulled out of Atiku’s campaign team, following the refusal of the National Chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, to resign his position, to pave way for someone from the South of the country to replace him.
The group, in a statement made available to newsmen in Jos, and signed by Williams Rwang Bulus, said “we stand by our former Governor Jonah Jang.
“We are loyal to our former Governor, Jonah Jang who has done a lot in building the party in Plateau”.
The group added that Jang was the pillar of the PDP in the state.
“As a group, we still sympathise with Wike for the injustices meted out to him, and we are comfortable with the stand taken by our former governor, Jang.”
The group further stated that “the party leadership has not been fair to Governor Nyesom Wike based on the activities that took place during the convention and after the convention.
“We stand by any decision that our former Governor Jang takes and would always work for him,” the group added.
The group described the crisis in the party as one that some aggrieved party stakeholders, were trying to take their pound of flesh on former Governor Jonah Jang over his recent decision of pulling out from the campaign council of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
After Jang’s withdrawal from the campaign council, some stakeholders of the party known as the ‘Plateau for Atiku Group’ using an APC chieftain, AmbYahayaKwande as a rallying point, went on to disown the statement credited to Jang asking Ayu to resign.
The group of stakeholders, amongst whom is Prof Shedrach Best, a then secretary of the state government (SSG) under Senator Jonah Jang’s administration, rather than calling for a roundtable to address Jang’s stance on the national crisis, had instead moved into an attempt to demean the person of the former governor.
Best was earlier quoted as asking an investor and non-indigene in the state, to leave and go back to his state for supporting Senator Jonah Jang’s idea of joining others to pull out of Atiku’s campaign.
“The power play has seen Amb Yahaya Kwande, widely known as an APC chieftain and close friend and associate of Atiku as such it is no surprise that he has been able to put together staunch supporters of Atiku ‘the Plateau for Atiku Group’ and attempting to use the opportunity to spite Jonah Jang who believes that ‘Subverting the Constitution of the party’s long-held tradition of inclusiveness’ is a sure way to derail the party from getting back to its winning ways.
“It is rather unfortunate that instead of the so-called stakeholders to advise Atiku to drop his political arrogance by asking Ayu to go, which will help him approach the election with one house, they are busy taking their political pound of flesh with anyone that opposes their stand.
“We were taken aback by such remarks by the faction close to Baba Kwande, and as loyal party men and women, we encourage the peaceful resolution of the impasse, and not actions that will fuel it out of proportion”, the group said.