Crisis Rocks Plateau PDP As Youth Coalition Adopts Hon Bitrus Kaze For Party Chairmanship position
Yakubu Busari
The People Democratic Party (PDP) crisis has deepened ,as Plateau youths endorsed Hon Bitrus Kaze for the State Chairmanship race.
The youths under the aegis of coalition Plateau State PDP youth has endorsed Hon Bitrus Kaze for chairmanship position and advised other candidates to put their differences aside and work for him.
The coalition in their Communique signed by the Chairman ,Hon Gideon N Tyem and Pam Yakubu at the Bishop court in Jos on the 13th April,2016 expressed their readiness to work for the victory of the party .
The group told the PDP to find a common ground on ways to reorganize and to move the party to greater height ,as the party prepared to hold its congresses across the country.
The coalition at the meeting unanimously adopted Hon. Bitrus Kaze as the choice candidate for PDP considering his character,uprightness and his quest for justice and truth.
Tyem said due to his resolute and committed stand on the ideology of the party despite distractions ,the youth groups saw in him a focused and strong minded candidate that will bring reconciliation and unites those aggrieved party members across board.The groups maintained that PDP is the political party that put Plateau state in the front burner of the Nigeria politics.
According to him , the party needs genuine truth and reconciliation mechanism to aid it in healing the post election wounds and promotes the core value of the party’s founding fathers.
“We adopt a common name ‘coalition of PDP youth Groups to mobilize support for Hon Bitrus Kaze as chairman of PDP Plateau state for justice equity and fair play .
The former member representing ,Jos East ,Jos South ,Hon Bitrus Kaze said if given the opportunity to serve the party he would ensure justice ,equity and fair play to prevail in the state.
He said the youths endorsing him for the post of Chairmanship race is a welcome development because I have led the party before in which so my people expressed confidence in my conduct.
Kaze noted his selection is a rare privilege which is based on confidence during the 2015 gubernatorial elections where he refused to support the imposition of candidates.
The former governor candidate promised to give youth the chance.
“Some of my age mate have been governor, but now I am 47 years-old yet somebody is still calling me a youth”.
Hon Kaze expressed regret that zoning of Party to some particular area will not work. PDP stinks in Plateau ,how caucus disagree on chairmanship zoning
It would be recalled that the Plateau caucus meeting scheduled to unite aggressive members of the party ended in deadlocked recently.
The introduction of rivalry within the high ranking Plateau politicians led to the crisis from 1998 to 2015 with over 5,000 killed and several injured as properties worth billions destroyed.
If the recent 2015 general elections are anything to go by ,it is evident that the People Democratic Party is in dire need to rebuild and establish its credentials as a formidable platform to articulate alternative views on the governance of the state.
However, the most pertinent question that remains to be answered is that the leaders of the party don’t have the sincerity to learn from their past mistakes and remind themselves, we have done something wrong to push hatred so now let take courage to chart a new course,no matter whose ox is gored .
Some political pundits raised concern that the former governor Jonah David Jang, who is now Senator representing Plateau North was in a secret meeting with senior Beroms leaders to scuttle power and remains relevant.
It will be a political graveyard for the state chapter considering the big defeat the PDP suffered in 2015 polls where Jang brought late GNS Pwajok which didn’t go down well with the people of Plateau South/central who muzzled power out the ruling party to the opposition.
Information available revealed that against the backdrop of insisting that power should be shift to Plateau south, Jang refused to listen to the zoning arrangement which had remain vital to the progress of the state .
Another serious problem is the issue of lack of internal democracy and imposition of candidates beginning from wards ,local governments and state chairmanship which remains bad.
Against the background of the protracted instability suffered by the party and the evidence of treachery clandestinely carried out by some of its leaders, PDP in Plateau state need to install party executive that has the clout , integrity , unquestionable loyalty,with widespread acceptability,commitment and exposure to how the party executive is reconstituted .
The absence of personality like Hon Bitrus Kaze will determine whether or not some of its leaders command national recognition and relevance and by extension ,its ability to function effectively as a formidable opposition platform to command the respect of both its members of the party.
It is appropriate to say that the party had all along controlled by few faces with the challenges of reinventing itself now brewing another breakdown of confusion and lack of internal party support.
