Ben Adaji Jalingo
The Acting Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Taraba State, Comrade Obidah Bitrus, says the party in the state remains united despite the internal crisis currently affecting the party at the national level.
Bitrus who stated this while speaking with journalists in Jalingo on Sunday, noted that although there are disagreements within the party nationally, the situation has not created divisions within the parry inTaraba State.
He explained that the crisis at the national level followed disputes over the conduct of the party’s convention held in November last year, which was later challenged in court by an aggrieved faction of the party.
According to him, the matter escalated after the Court of Appeal nullified the election that produced the party’s leadership from the convention.
He, however, said efforts are ongoing to resolve the crisis, adding that the party’s Board of Trustees has already held several meetings to with a view to finding lasting solution.
Bitrus said a committee has been constituted to engage the various factions within the party in order to reconcile their differences and possibly reach an out-of-court settlement.
“From all indications, there may be a harmonised caretaker committee that will serve for about 21 days before a mini national convention is conducted to produce a legally recognised leadership,” he said.
The acting chairman also dismissed concerns that the defection of some PDP leaders in Taraba State to the All Progressives Congress (APC) would weaken the party in the state.
He said the PDP still enjoys strong support across the local government areas, describing Taraba as a traditional stronghold of the party.
Bitrus added that many residents are still showing interest in the party, especially through its ongoing membership registration exercise.
According to him, some politicians who defected to the APC have already began making moves to return to the PDP after realising that the ruling party was overcrowded.
He also dismissed reports of a parallel party congress allegedly conducted in the state.
The acting chairman said he was not aware of such an exercise and questioned its legitimacy, stressing that the current leadership of the party in Taraba State was duly elected and recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“We do not have factions in Taraba State and there is no need for another congress when there is already a legally elected leadership,” he said.
Bitrus also dismissed allegations that the APC was using members of the opposition to destabilise the PDP, saying there was no clear evidence of such activities in Taraba State.
He expressed confidence that the PDP would remain a dominant political force in the state ahead of future elections.
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