L-R: Tapgun, Tallen, Jang and Mantu
Haruna Dabin, the newly-elected state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Plateau State, exuded confidence when he addressed journalists last Saturday on the Court of Appeal judgment which affirmed the position of his executive committee. But Jude Owuamanam writes that the enthusiasm appears ephemeral, as the solution to the crisis may require more than a legal solution Last Friday, the Court of Appeal in Jos gave Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang, and the state executive of the Peoples Democratic Party a legal victory when it up-braided the party‘s National Working Committee for dissolving the state executive and appointing a caretaker committee. The judgment was sequel to an appeal lodged by the NWC and the Abu King Shulluwa-led caretaker committee over an earlier judgment by a Jos High Court, which had declared as illegal the sacking of the Prof. Dakum Shown-led executive.
On the face of it, Jang and his faction might have got the desired respite from the intractable crisis in the party in the state, but they will have to bargain with the political backlash from the court judgment.
The crisis arose in the first place following the alleged sidelining of those who helped Jang to win primaries and the governorship election in 2007. The group led by a former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, and a former governor of the state, Fidelis Tapgun, had worked assiduously to ensure that Jang emerged as the governor.
Also believed to have abandoned the Jang wagon, as it were, is his deputy, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, who is now seeking to be the number one citizen of the state.
When the crisis in the party in the state became intractable, the NWC had to wage the sledge hammer by dissolving the state executive and appointing the Shulluwa committee. But in order to maintain its legitimacy, the then chairman went to court to challenge the action. Shown had said the NWC had no such powers to dissolve a state executive, stressing that he was not given a fair hearing before the action was taken. In agreeing with him, the court had said the NWC under the superintendence of Prince Vincent Ogbulafor had no right to dissolve the party structure in the state.
The judgment came after months of political fisticuffs between the Shown-led executive and the Chief Emmanuel Mangni-led faction. However, not satisfied, the NWC and Ogbulafor appealed against the judgment. But two weeks ago, the appellate court put the whole issue to rest when it concurred with the lower court and threw away the appeal.
But before the appellate court verdict, the two parties were at the verge of reaching an agreement. Part of the deal brokered by the Presidency was that the two executives should be dissolved, while the two factions should share party positions. As part of the agreement, the Mangni-led faction was to produce the chairman, while the Jang group was to produce the secretary. Other positions were also shared. But no sooner than the deal was struck that it failed. Jang allegedly refused the sharing arrangement and instead agreed to sacrifice Shown for another chairman. Shown resigned and accepted the position of a political adviser to the governor. In his stead, and one of his kinsmen, Mr. Haruna Dabin, became the new chairman. But this was not acceptable to the opposition who saw it as an old wine in a new wine skin.
Though it does appear that the Court of Appeal had settled all the issues with the pronouncement, but it has thrown up more controversies and red herrings on the way of Jang‘s return to Rayfield Government House.
First, Shown is said to be plotting his way back to office as holds the belief that he was sacrificed by the governor to please the opposition. This claim has since being dismissed by the Secretary of the party, Mr. Daniel Dakim..
Dakim said, ”Prof. Shown resigned voluntarily and it is not possible that he will be plotting to come back. Anybody saying that is simply being mischievous.” He also refused to believe that any other solution to the crisis could be better than the legal solution. ”What other solution can be better than a court judgment in your favour? For many months, we battled with this and now the court has vindicated us, so we are happy with that.”
”What the opposition is asking is Jang‘s resignation. It is not possible for him to resign without being voted out. Let them strive to contest and win. That‘s the only solution for them.”
Indeed, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Edward Pwajok, could not agree less. To him, the solution to the crisis is the legal victory obtained by Jang and the executive.
”Do you have any other solution outside the rule of law”? He asks.
But if the governor is able to overcome the Shown debacle, the real albatross for him is the current opposition being mounted against him. Curiously, the most formidable opposition is posed by the emergence of Tallen, as a governorship aspirant. Tallen, once an ally of the governor fell out with her boss when she was allegedly sidelined from the scheme of things. The situation has since forced her to align with the opposition to wrest power from Jang in the 2011 poll. In fact, she is gaining strength by the day and will soon commence her electioneering.
Besides that, the opposition in the state is seeking a consensus among them. The nine aspirants who have so far indicated interest to vie in the 2011 poll are planning to present one of them as a consensus candidate to square with the governors in the primaries where the real test for Jang‘s re-election bid hangs. In the alternative, they are hoping that if that fails, Jang may get the Ifeanyi Ararume treatment where the opposition would work against him to support a candidate from another party. It is likely that Senator Silas Janfa, who is contesting on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, may be the beneficiary.
However Pwajok said such an arrangement will fail as the opposition aspirants are made up of strange bed fellows.
He said, ”Who is the opposition‘s candidate? If they can‘t unite, how can they face the governor? We are prepared for primaries and elections and Imo situation is different from Plateau and there is no Olusegun Obasanjo now.”
He added, ”Who are those personalities who helped the governor? That is why every aspirant should be allowed to test his popularity I am for elections and against any settlement because people use it for blackmail. We are ready to accept defeat if beaten,”
In fact, just as the Jang group is wriggling out of one crisis another is cropping up. For instance, the Independent National Electoral Commission has now ordered that a fresh congress be conducted to elect a new executive of the party. INEC had said that election that brought Shown to power was flawed and therefore null and void. Arising from this, the opposition is hoping to extract its own pound of flesh at the congress. However, with the new timetable released by INEC, the prospect of a fresh congress in the state seems very remote.
There is also the issue of membership registration and membership cards. The caretaker committee had earlier obtained some membership cards, which it had intended to distribute to new members. But it could not do that before it was ousted. However, some of the cards were said to have gone into some hands, while the committee is still possession of some. Dabin had at the briefing asked that all those cards be returned. Moreover Dabin is also making moves to deny some people right to contest the election when he said that he would enforce the party‘s constitution that any member who has not held the membership card continuously for two years will not be allowed to contest any election.
Also, a former Sports Minister and now a governorship aspirant in the state, Damishi Sango, feels that the state can still do better without Jang. Sango says that Jang is flaunting a borrowed credential especially when he claims that he has done so many things in the state.
Sango said that while Jang concentrated on roads, he ignored all other sectors — education, health — as workers in these sectors were in and out of strike
Tapgun, also a governorship aspirant believes that if Jang is popular as he claims, he should not be afraid of any congress, adding, that “It is not yet over, until it is over; we are waiting for the primaries.”
Source:.punchng.com
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