The People’s Democratic Party’s Local Government Congress in Jada LGA of Adamawa state was yesterday thrown into fracas as a result of serious disagreements that ensued between one Alh. Arabo Sheikh and Adamu Atiku Abubakar over who represents the Local Government at the October 30/31 national convention. It is gathered that at the conclusion of what they called a consensus exercise, an agreement was reached that Alh. Arabo was to be the National Delegate, and his name was accordingly written in the final list to be submitted as no formal election was conducted.
But things didn’t work out the way it was planned. For no sooner had the list left Jada and arrived Yola, the state capital, the arrangement cracked. It was said that Adamu, a serving commissioner in the state and first son of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, indicated his interest to replace Arabo Sheikh as the National Delegate of the Local Government. The State Party Caucus agreed to the replacement but he was advised to first seek the consent of Arabo Sheikh to step down for him. And this is when all hell was let loose, for when Adamu called on Arabo with the demand, the latter was reported to have become angry and furious, and so outrightly rejected the appeal to step down. The issue was then put in abeyance, and was said to be forwarded to the former Vice President to resolve.
Arabo Sheikh is Atiku’s main business and political points-man in Jada Local Government, Atiku’s own Local Government, while Adamu is his first son. Whosoever Atiku ultimately decides to favour would replace a longtime party member and stakeholder in the state, Dr. Umar Ardo, who’s completely put out of the exercise as a result of his opposition stance in the way the PDP conducts its affairs in the state and probably for his opposition to the removal of Prince Uche Secondus, the erstwhile PDP national chairman.
All efforts to hear from Arabo and Adamu proved abortive as both declined to speak on the matter. But when contacted, Dr. Ardo became cynical, “I have more important things to worry about than waste my time on things that are dead on arrival. We’re waiting for Secondus’ case on appeal to be determined. If he wins then everything they did is put aside and we go back and do what is right and proper in accordance to law. If he loses, then PDP will pay in full measure according to its iniquity, and the two people who would have brought that to the party should be held squarely responsible by party members and by Nigerians. Perhaps we may all then learn how to pursue our ambitions within the confines of the law, and not outside”.
While Jada LG PDP awaits to see who finally makes it as delegate at the National Convention based on Atiku’s decision, party members across the nation wait to hear the outcome of Secondus’ appeal at the Appeal Court.
