A detachment of policemen stationed at
the Plateau State Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, on
Thursday, chased members of the Nandom Pyennap-led Caretaker Committee
from the secretariat.
The committee, made up of loyalists of
the party’s governorship candidate in the 2019 general elections,
Jeremiah Useni, was recently constituted as a parallel executive to
rival the one recognised by the National Working Committee of the PDP
led by Yakubu Chocho.
Our correspondent gathered that trouble
started when the members of the Useni committee went to the state
party’s secretariat to address a press conference, a move which the
policemen thwarted.
One of the policemen on duty who did not
give his name told our correspondent that, “We are here to provide
security and we will not allow anyone to cause problem here.”
After failing to gain entrance into the
building, the group moved to the Useni’s campaign office located at Dogo
Karfe Street in Jos where Pyennap eventually addressed the people.
Pyennap said, “In a serious matter such
as it has to do with the decision of the National Working Committee as
claimed by these characters, the communicator should ordinarily be the
National Chairman or National Secretary.”
He wondered why the contents of letters
written to Jigawa, Kano and Ekiti to form caretaker committees would be
different from that of Plateau State.
He said, “It is strange that here in
Plateau we have 28 members of the caretaker committee. Apart from
being 28 in number, all of them are looking for elective positions
again. Apart from that, they have caused a lot of problems during the
ward congresses and the purported local government congress. You see,
for natural justice to prevail, let the national secretariat take a
frantic step, they should constitute a seven-man committee without us,
without them and put people that can come and do what is right.”
He insisted that the tenures of those
claiming to be members of the caretaker committee in Plateau had lapsed
and urged them to step aside.
But the caretaker committee led by Yakubu Chicho described Pyennap’s actions as a joke taken too far.
Chocho told journalists at a separate
press briefing held at the party ‘s secretariat that “Our caretaker
committee under my leadership was duly constituted in line with the
party’s constitution and endorsed by the National Executive Committee of
the party. If they say they are the authentic party leaders, let them
produce their letter of authorisation.”
