News Editor
By Edwin Philip
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nasarawa State Chapter, has announced dates for its Congresses and the zoning of State working committee positions.
State Chairman of party, Hon. Francis Orogu made the the announcement during a meeting of the State Executive Committee (SEC) Monday, in Lafia, the state capital. Hon. Orogu, also led other members to receive 2 members of the State Assembly who defected from the SDP to the PDP swelling its ranks in the state assembly to 11, an even to the ruling APC with 11members as well.
The meeting was called by the party to fine tune some processes towards the success and hitch free forthcoming Party Congresses in the state as a build-up towards 2027 elections.
In a press release from the party’s media hub, the timetable for the exercise indicated that ward congresses would hold on the 28, September, 2024, while the Local Government Area congresses would take place on October, 14, 2024 and the State Congress would hold on the October 26, 2024.
He further disclosed that the National headquarters approved and communicated the dates as well as revealed the cost of nomination forms for offices to be contested during the congresses.
The meeting called on members, supporters, and stakeholders to ensure free, fair, and credible congresses devoid of crisis, rancour, and mischief from individuals or groups.
He urged members to eschew unnecessary issues capable of tearing the party and the people apart, but rather be committed to the party ideology of one big family binded in unity, equity, honesty and trust that will guarantee the conduct of one of the best congresses in the North-central and Nigeria at large.
The occasion also noted that the leadership of Hon Orogu should build on its previous record of the 2023 party primaries contested by about 136 members for various positions including the governorship was without a single petition or court case from any contestant.
However, the chairman apealed that the concensus options should be the best way for the party as it reduces cost, suspicions, crises, and division among party members.
He revealed that committees and supervisors have been set up to ensure hitch-free ongoing up-date and revalidation of membership register urging members to ensure that the right things are done and in a clean copy for onwards submission to the National Headquarters as they are the documents to be use for the congresses, and at the end of the exercise it is expected that all existing members of the PDP in the state would be issued new membership cards.
The meeting which had in attendance members of the State Working Committee (SWC), the two former Deputy Governors, Hon. Labaran Maku CON, and Chief John Mike Abdul including Senator Mohammed Onawo, all PDP House of the state House of Assembly led by the deputy speaker and the minority leader, Zonal officials and LGA chairmen and other leaders of the party statutorily empowered to attend the meeting.
The PDP prides itself as the strongest opposition political party in Nasarawa state and has held tenaciously to this claim of PDP’s strong presence in the state.
The Chairman explained that the interest which led others to join the party at this time underscores the true reflection of the political landscape in the state which has since the return of democracy in Nigeria at large and Nasarawa State in particular been the way of life of the people. “The blind can feel it and the deaf can sense it that PDP is fully and strongly on ground in every nook and cranny of the state which even children sing PDP like nursery rhymes and adults discuss about the good days of PDP at homes, markets, work places, relaxation points etc as against the failed All Progressive Congress APC led government in the state” the statement said,
adding that the party’s “popularity and acceptability is evidenced in the outcome of the 2023 General Elections where PDP and other opposition parties won Senatorial Seats and APC had none, PDP won (9) State House of Assembly seats while The APC won 10 seats leaving other opposition parties with 5 seats .
During the State Working Committee (SWC) meeting, the party received member of the Social Democratic Party, ( SDP) representing Udege/Loko Constituency, Hon. Kana Onarigu, who was warmly received while the meeting climaxed with a rousing ovation in honour of a second SDP State Assembly member representing Karshi/Uke Constituency, Hon. Saidu Musa Gude, who also defected to the Peoples Democratic Party.
With the recent defection of the two SDP Members to PDP and one NNPP to APC the PDP membership of the state Assembly is now at per with that of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with 11 (eleven) seats numbers each. The party has quite appreciable numbers of principals officials in the State Assembly.
