Unending Plateau PDP crisis, Sen. Jang finger's as mastermind

Unending Plateau PDP crisis, Sen. Jang finger's as mastermind

Sometimes things happen and we find it difficult to understand why. However, the passage of time tells the secret behind all events.

Sen Jonah D. Jang went into politics after retirement from active military service of the Nigerian Airforce. Hitherto, he had served as Military Governor in both the defunct Gongola State and Benue State. In coming to politics he aspired for governirship of Plateau under the PDP. Sen Joshua Chibi Dariye defeated him at the primaries. He decided to join the ANPP and with the help and sponsorship of Gen J.T. Useni, he was given the ticket. Unofficial reports said he won the elections but was rigged out. Thus, he lost to Sen Dariye.

Sen Jonah Jang returned to the PDP and recontested for the governorship in 2007. This time he won. He performed wonderfully well and better than any of his predecessors except the late Military governor Police Commissioner Joseph Deshi Gomwalk. His performance in the first tenure 2007 - 2011 gave him another opportunity for a second tenure which he comfortably secured.

His performance in the first term earned him a national respect within the PDP family, especially with the then President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. However, his posture and style in terms of brazen exhibition of ethnicity and religious bias put him in very bad record with the core Northern power brokers and elites, especially the Hausa and Fulani extractions. Back home on the Plateu, his brazen display of ethnicity in favour of his tribal Berom also put him on bad light with other tribes of Plateau.

At the National level, he became so powerful and acceptable to Goodluck Jonathan. This trust became the undoing of the PDP at the National level. Here is the point. During the election of the Chairmanship of the Nigerian Governors' Forum (NGF), Gov. Ameachi won by 19 while Gov Jonah Jang lost by winning 16 votes. However, Gov Jang declared himself the winner and started parading himself as the elected Chairman of the NGF. It was said, for the first time in the history of Mathematics and Genetal Science, that 16 is greater than 19.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) accepted Gov. Jang as the Chairman of NGF. This acceptance of the greed and unprincipled posture of Gov Jang by GEJ marked the downfall of the PDP as 5 strong PDP serving governors led by Ameachi and their supporters left the party immediately. Since then, the party witnessed mass exodus of legislators and their supporters to the APC.

Back home on the Plateau, Jonah Jang had no trust on any other person except his Berom kinsmen and women. Even within his Kinsmen, he trusted only the Du (his immediate village) specie of the Berom. Thus, all juicy appointments went to the Berom or the Berom inlaws, especially those who married the Du sons and daughters. This ethnic egotism made Gov Jang to select his nephew the Late Sen G.N.S Pwajok as the only one who could succeed him. Jonah Jang would not listen even when a Plateau elders warned against him. To be fair, there were some Berom elders who stood against this decision but Gov Jang would not listen. This action led to what was tagged as Plateau project - a project embarked by Plateau stakeholders regardless of party, to salvage Plateau from the planned enthronment of an ethnic leadership dynasty by Gov Jang. Thus, the PDP lost in Plateau in 2015. Gov Lalong in his maiden addressed thanked Gov Jang for making him governor as a result of unpopular decision.

Since Sen Jang joined the PDP, the party has not known peace, especially at the State. He has dethroned 3 State party chairmen.

The current PDP impasse in the State is fueled and sponsored by Sen Jang.

Immediately after the PDP primaries rumours began to filter making the rounds about Hon D.T. Sango's removal from the seat of the Chairmanship of Plateau State PDP. The rumours got intensified after the general elections.

The first set of allegations contained the accusation that Hon. Sango sold the PDP mandate to the APC. To support the allegation, the agitators alleged that Hon. Sango was dining with Gov. Lalong to the extent that Gov. Lalong built a house in Rayfield and a fuelling station in Bukuru for Hon. Sango and that Gov Lalong was pumping humongous sums of money to Hon. Sango. Another accusation in this set was that Hon. Sango negotiated for the frustration of the announcement of the final results in favour of many of our National Assembly candidates with particular reference to those of Sen I.D. Gyang and Hon. Jonathan Dabo. No proof was given to support these serious allegations and no single person was bold enough to confront Hon. Sango face-to-face with these allegations. These allegations began to be transient and fissile out for two major reasons. First, after Sen J.T. Useni and Hon. D.T. Sango led a protest to the INEC office which resulted to the declaration of the result of Sen I.D. Gyang. Second, when it turns out that the accusation of Gov. Lalong building a house in Rayfield, and a fuelling station and other momentary gifts for Hon Sango turned out to be a plethora of lies as no one proved any of these, another scheme was cooked.

The second set of allegations emerged with accusations of financial misappropriation. This set of allegations came up immediately after the last State Campaign Council meeting. At this meeting, Hon. D.T. Sango announced that by the operation and hierarchy of the PDP when there is a sitting PDP governor, such a governor is the leader of the party in the State. He further states in the meeting that when PDP does not have a sitting governor and a candidate emerges, the candidate becomes the leader of the party. On this note he made it clear that Sen J.T. Useni is now the leader of the party in Plateau.

Recall that hitherto, Sen J.D. Jang had always been regarded as the leader of the party in Plateau. This announcement did not go well with Sen J.D. Jang and his followers. First, they said that Hon Sango should have consulted Sen Jang first before making such an announcement. Second, that Sango is handing over the party structure to Sen Useni who joined the party just few years ago. This announcement added to the three major crimes of Hon Sango. Thus, the announcement ignited the plot to remove Sango.

The three other major unpardonable crimes of Hon Sango are that he spearheaded the zoning of the governorship to the Southern Senatorial District against the wishes of Sen. J.D. Jang. Second, that Hon. Sango tailored and 'midwifed' the party delegates to enable Sen Useni's emergence as the candidate against Sen. Jang's candidature of Rt Hon Gearge E. Daika. Thirdly, the poor performance of Sen Jang at the National Convention when Hon. Jang vied for the presidency is attributed to Hon. Sango. It is alleged that Hon Sango led the Plateau delegates to HE Abubakar Atiku instead of Sen. Jang. Thus, at that point, the imperative of the removal of Hon Sango became very evident.

After the State Campaign Council meeting, Hon Sango convened a meeting to, among others, address some issues concerning campaign funds and other finances. After Hon. Sango's explanation on the finances and campaign funds, Hon Chris A. Hassan was the first to commend Hon Sango and moved a vote of confidence on Hon. Sango. Immediately after that EXCO meeting, a meeting of selected EXCO members of like minds was convened with Sen J.D. Jang. That was when the machinery to remove Hon. Sango was put in strong gear.

The next move was the concoction of allegations based on financial misappropriation such as Presidential campaign funds, IDP money and Money for retreat, and the issue of Wase House of Reps candidate.

The mask began to unveil when in their first EXCO meeting Mr. J.T. Akans moved that Sen J.D. Jang be recognised  by the EXCO as the leader of the party henceforth. However, this was not properly planned as other members sang discordant tunes. One of them openly raised objection pointing out the announcement made at the last Campaign Council meeting in which no one raised objection. Thus, this was aborted.

Another interesting event unveiling the mask was in another EXCO meeting in June. In the meeting, their leader Hon Chris Hassan announced to them that they should not worry about the committee set by the National Secretariat to delve into the Plateau crisis because Sen Jang has assured them of taking care of the committee. He told the EXCO that the Chairman of the committee pin the person of HE Sen David Mark is a good friend of Sen Jang. In his announcement, Hon Hassan associated that the EXCO should be grateful to Hon Theophilus  Dakas Shan for standing by them.

Our findings reveal that Sen Jang has already plotted candidates for 2023. Now that he is no more a serving Senator and has been stripped off the position of party leadership, leaving Hon Sango will be the most disastrous thing. There are other interesting issues unveiling the mask which will be revealed at the appropriate time as we go along.

There is always a way to give a dog a bad name when there is a need to hang it. When Hon. Amos G. Gombi refused to be part of the plot, he was given a name for his eventual crucifixion.

The major agenda and the mask behind the PDP crisis in Plateau are being unveiled.