The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has passed a vote of no confidence on its Chairman, Mr Damishi Sango, and the Deputy Chairman, Mr Amos Gombi.
The party’s State Executive Council (SEC), in a meeting held in Jos in the early hours of Wednesday, resolved to sack the officials “to save the party’’.
The SEC, whose resolutions were signed by 16 members, appointed Mr Chris Hassan, Vice Chairman of the party in the northern senatorial zone, to take over its leadership as Acting State Chairman.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the resolutions as indicating that the meeting, which was called to appraise “issues arising from the elections’’, resolved to sack the duo over alleged mismanagement of resources sent to the state for the presidential election.
“The resources were not accounted for by the chairman and his deputy. They refused to disclose the amount received from the Presidential Campaign Committee, opting to create a fraudulent unseen template used as ‘sharing formula’.
“That sharing formula is unknown to the state party structure; up till date, no disclosure has been made by the Chairman and/or the Deputy Chairman,’’ the party officials stated.
The SEC also accused the duo of failing to account for monies raised and saved by the party to help Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
Gombi is the Chairman of the party’s committee on the IDPs.
“No mention has been made of the funds. No one knows what happened to the funds. Everyone has been kept in the dark,’’ the officials fumed.
They also accused the suspended officials of refusing to account for the money meant for the Plateau State PDP Retreat, adding that no one was aware of how the funds were expended.
The SEC also decried the “arbitrary substitution’’ of the legitimate winner of the party’s ticket to contest the Wase House of Representatives seat, and accused the suspended duo of taking that action “without recourse to the state executive council’’.
“The suspended officials took the decision after some financial inducements. That decision cost the PDP the seat,’’ the SEC further claimed in the resolutions.
The SEC accused the duo of “highhandedness’’ that had plunged the PDP into massive confusion, and particularly deplored the “high disregard’’ for elders, critical stakeholders and members of the state executive council.
“The chairman and his deputy have consistently displayed utter disdain for everyone; they have no time for anyone’s advice, suggestion or decision. No one was relevant in their sight.’’
NAN reports that the state executive council also dissolved the state campaign council and directed its members to return party properties in their possession.
Reacting, Sango, the chairman, said that he was not aware of such development.
“Nobody has told me anything. I don’t know. No one has confronted me with any allegation.
“If they held a meeting, I am not aware of that meeting. I cannot comment. At my age, and with my experience, I cannot comment on something that I have not seen.
“There are enemies seeking to destroy the party. There are some people feeling aggrieved over one thing or the other. They want to destroy the party. But I will deal with them. I will deal with them,’’ he told NAN in a telephone interview.
