Mr Bitrus Kaze, Plateau State Chairmanship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed surprise at what he called “the sudden decision of the party” to hold the state elective congress on Aug. 29.
Newsmen report that the party’s acting spokesperson, Mr John Akans, had on Tuesday announced that the elective congress would hold on Saturday.
But Kaze in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos described the decision as hasty, considering what called the numerous unresolved issues in the party, including the fact that “the state has taken a decision that the caretaker is not fit to be in office much less conduct a state congress.”
He also cited the court cases and petitions by party members, “yet we saw a communication from Akan that a date for the election has been fixed”, adding, that they had not heard from the national secretariat on the issue.
According to him, it is the responsibility of the National Secretariat of the party to send people that would conduct the congress.
Reacting to Kaze’s observations, Akans said that the holding of the congress on Aug. 29 was the decision of the national secretariat of the party, as it was its responsibility to decide when state congresses would hold.
Akans said that the congresses were initially slated for match but for the Coronavirus pandemic.
“It is the national headquarters that conducts congresses and not the state chapter.
“And if they decide congresses should take place, all that is needed by aspirants is to organise themsleves and participate,” he said.
On the subsisting court cases, Akans said that the party could not remain stagnant because of the cases especially now that others had held their congresses.
According to him, the national body had asked the aggrieved persons to withdraw the cases for the party to move forward.
Akans stated that it was the national secretariat that sent Governor of Benue to intervene in the Plateau situation and had studied his report and decided to hold the congresses without delay.
