‘Elephant’ In Plateau PDP Net

The Plateau State PDP is in a lose some, gain some situation in the build up to 2019 general elections. After losing some of its elected members in the National and State Assembly to the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition party surges on and wins some souls on its way, with the biggest being a one-time All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), gubernatorial candidate in the state, Chris Giwa, whose surname translates as ‘elephant’, CHAMBERLAIN ODEY reports

Perhaps, it was not a day foretold; or no one bordered to check the horoscope. All the same, days of heavy weather gave way to a passable super Thursday June 22, for the Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as what was meant to be a grand finale of zonal rallies by the party’s circumstantial Patriots group, delivered twin values: a rally and reception of decampees to the recuperating PDP gasping for its old breath and groping for its lost winning streak.
After a literal test of might that allegedly saw some PDP heavyweights neutralizing a security stud by officialdom in the dead of Wednesday night at the State Police Headquarters, the old-fashioned building housing the state secretariat of the party along Yakubu Gowon Way, opposite the NTA, Jos, came alive early in the morning, as enthusiastic party faithful trooped in in droves to behold what party moguls announced later was the commencement of proceedings towards 2019.
Up till 10am when the event was scheduled to commence at Langsfield Resort, Little Rayfield, a few poles adjacent to the new Government House, the party secretariat was still agog with chieftains arriving and vital noise making provided and sustained by jubilant, enterprising career jesters and jobbing praise singers who turned the PDP’s reinvented sentimental war cry of ‘change the change’ into a melodious hum.
Eventually, at about 11am, the thick and footfalls at the party secretariat thinned and faded towards Rayfield, then percolated and concentrated into a mammoth crowd that interfaced with thousands of parked vehicles in the expansive Langsfield Resort venue to produce a semblance of the busy extensive auto market in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
From across the state, party officials, moguls, members, and sympathisers arrived much to the warm embrace of one another, the low with the high, the colourless with the colourful, engendering an atmosphere of probably their first get together since the party was trounced and disempowered in the historic general elections of 2015. With the arrival of the state party chairman, Damishi Sango at past 12 noon, with the party’s State Assembly and National Assembly members also following at close heel, the about 5000-capacity hall of the event centre took shape, and the dutiful masters-of-ceremony made no mistakes about it, interspacing proceedings in an apparent buy-time bargain, as the ‘bride’ was still being awaited.
Time check was 2:05pm when the motorcade of the ‘chief bride’ of the day, Ambassador Chris Giwa, proprietor of Giwa FC currently doing penance from the Nigeria Premier League, accompanied by Senator Jonah Jang and party officials from Jos South Local Government Area, pulled into the venue. As a spell of thunderous applause of approval and reception simmered to audible level, it was obvious that the twilight hour had come with the highlight of the occasion.
State northern zone chairman of the Party, Chris Hassan, in his speech extolled the good programmes and achievements of the party, pointing out that no other political party in the country can afford Plateau State the opportunity to realise its destiny like the PDP. Admitting that the party may have made mistakes that cost it the last general elections, Hassan was quick to add that the party is in a better position now to do better, especially as the generality of Plateau people have also realised that it is the PDP that has laid the blueprint for the development of modern Plateau, calling on all party faithful to close ranks and work for the unity of the party so as not to fail the dreams of Plateau people.
Guest lecturer at the occasion, Professor Dung Sha, who spoke on the “Dilemmas of the opposition political party”, charged the PDP to get its acts together by reconciling its ranks to achieve party cohesion. He said as a party in opposition, the PDP must continue an aggressive membership drive to strengthen its war chest, and look inwards to address its weaknesses so as to boost its strength.
The political science professor also tasked the PDP to maintain a virile and prompt research department that will service the party officials with the data and statistics necessary for such party officials to address issues and engage in robust public discourse capable of appealing to discerning minds and market party programmes. To achieve this, he said the opposition party must work with the media to publicise its views and position of critical issues, noting that the PDP has chances of rebirth, and looks good to make strong impact in the next presidential and gubernatorial elections in the country because of its wealth of personnel and experience.
Senator Jonah David Jang, who presented Ambassador Chris Giwa to the state chairman and the Party, assured the party of a level playing ground for all, emphasising that there will never be imposition of candidates on the people by the party or its big wigs in any election. He said as the party prepares to recapture power in the next general elections, majority will and opinion will decide the fate of candidates that will emerge, adding that the party leaders have resolved that the party will remain united and indissoluble, as it hopes to survive and get over the crisis at the national level.
State chairman, Damishi Sango, who received Chris Giwa, thanked him for seeing the virtues of the party and having belief in its potentials, and immediately directed the Jos South Local Government chapter chairman of the party to present him with the party membership card. Sango assured the party that the crisis at the national level will soon be overcome, especially as it has not had any adverse effect on the lower levels of the party structure. He revealed that the choice of the venue for the event close to the new Government House was symbolic because the PDP in the state has put the 2015 electoral loss behind it, and has worked hard to recapture power in the next elections.
Ambassador Chris Giwa, in his speech express gratitude for the reception accorded him and his followers, pointing out that he choose the PDP after observing the manner Jonah Jang as governor piloted the affairs of the state, especially his policy of leadership mentoring and getting the younger ones ready to take over leadership positions in the public sphere.
Most of the party faithful who commented on the outcome of the event expressed anxiety over the prospect of local councils elections, saying it will offer invaluable opportunity for the opposition to prove to the incumbent the resolve of the people of the state to return the state to the PDP. Some however expressed the fear that the APC government may be dissuaded from conducting the councils’ elections, on trumped up grounds, because the turn out of the people for this occasion which caused traffic gridlock in some major roads in Jos has sent danger signals to the ruling party.