By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Following the nullification of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in Zamfara State, the Coalition of PDP Elders Support Group in the state on Wednesday, told the National Chairman of the party, Sen Iyorcha Ayu to act swiftly on the concern it earlier raised.
The group in a statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Musa Umar Dangulbi, absolved the judiciary of any blame on the decision taken by the court.
The Coalition rather described Justice Aminu Bappa’s pronouncement on the matter that the PDP cannot fill a governorship candidate for the 2023 general election as “self-inflicted”.
According to him, arrogant disposition, lack of unity, fairness, and justice and neglect of majority of PDP supporters in the rural areas especially old members, who have laboured to keep the party united only to be abandoned by the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Dauda Lawal and some leaders of the party in Abuja were responsible for the latest legal issue within the party in Zamfara.
“We also lay the blame on the doorsteps of a few elements in the party who are working hand in gloves with Dauda Lawal, to thwart all reconciliation efforts towards unity in the party at the state level.
“The misfortune trailing our great party and its governorship candidates that led to the annulment of the first and second governorship primary elections would have been averted if the national secretariat has acted when we wrote, seeking its attention on the need for reconciliation within the party before the conduct of the congress.
“We frown at the situation where some people from the state in connivance with some people in Abuja hurriedly organised the rescheduled PDP governorship primary without the knowledge of other contestants.
“As a stakeholder, our group can confirm to you that, the majority of delegates from Gummi, Zurmi, Talata Mafara, Bukuyum, and Anka local government areas were nowhere near the congress venue whereas results were announced.
“Dauda Lawal on winning the make-believe primary election abandoned the party and relocated to Abuja and Dubai. Prominent Elders with greater respect like General Aliyu Gusau and many others were sidelined in the affairs of the party since Dauda Lawal emerged as the governorship candidate.
“Worst of all, there is no personal presence of the governorship candidate to the party or the immediate family of our late chairman, who died recently. Dauda Lawal who was supposed to lead us in mourning over the death of our late chairman abandoned us in our grieving moment.
“We enjoin our national party chairman, Sen Iyorchia Ayu to find time out of his tight schedules and, correct the anomalies we had earlier raised, to restore unity and cohesion, not blame the judiciary.
“We must stand firm on making the party united for our 2023 elections”, the statement read in part.
