 |
| Hon. Sango |
Plateau PDP: Damishi Sango
resigns to pave way for peace.
By Joseph A. Adudu
December 05, 2019
The embattled Chairman of the main
opposition party in Plateau State, the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ), Hon.
Damishi T. Sango eventually resigned this afternoon and handed over to his
deputy, Hon. Amos Gombi. This development brings to an end months of upheavals
that have engulfed the party. Sango emerged state Chairman of the PDP in 2016
and held sway until after the 2019 general elections when he was accused of
financial impropriety by some members of the state executive committee of the
party.
Addressing
members of the press on the occasion of his official resignation, Sango
chronicled events that led to the current development. He said that since April
this year, the state chapter of the PDP has been rocked by what he described as
' tsunami-like crisis that has threatened its existence. According to Sango,
this followed his suspension alongside his deputy by members of the state
executive committee on trumped allegations of mismanagement of funds.
He said the ugly development prompted the
national Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondu to set up a committee
headed by Senator David Mark to look into the allegations and advised
appropriately.
 |
| Sango and members of the SEC |
The David Mark's committee concluded its assignment and
submitted its report which further prompted the convening of some stakeholders
from the state to Abuja for an interactive meeting. Damishi Sango said that the
resolutions adopted in that meeting were that the Senator David Mark's
committee did not find him guilty of financial impropriety and therefore,
exonerated him of all allegations; that pursuant to his exoneration, the
members of the executive committee who accused him should withdraw their
allegations in writing to the NWC. He further stated that upon the withdrawal
of the said allegations, and in consideration of the fact that there was bad
blood between him and most members of the executive committee, and also to
paved way for peace in the party, it was resolved that he steps aside.
Please, find
below full text of the press conference.
FAREWELL
PRESS CONFERENCE BY HON. DAMISHI TONSON SANGO, CHAIRMAN, PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC
PARTY (PDP), PLATEAU STATE CHAPTER, HELD THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019 AT THE
PARTY SECRETARIAT, NO. 20/22, YAKUBU GOWON WAY, JOS.
Protocol,
Gentlemen of
the media, great party men and women, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, you
aware that since April this year, the state chapter our great party has been
rocked by a tsunami-like crisis that has threatened its very existence as one
united political party. This followed my purported suspension along with my
deputy as Chair and deputy, respectively, by some members the executive
committee on trumped up allegations of mismanaging funds meant for the party’s
logistics arrangements in the 2019 presidential election in the State.
2. Following
the unfortunate incident, determined to resolve the crisis and get the Chapter
moving again, the national leadership of the Party, led by Prince Uche Secondus,
set a three-man committee, under the chairmanship of Senator David Mark, to
look into the said allegations and advise it accordingly.
3.The
Senator Mark-led committee swung into action immediately, having an interface
with individuals and different stakeholder groups within the Party in the
State, including Senators Ibrahim Mantu, Jonah Jang and Jeremiah Useni; former
Speakers of the State House of Assembly; sitting members of the National
Assembly and State House of Assembly.
4. The three
wise persons, after a painstaking exercise, dutifully submitted their report to
the National Working Committee (NWC). On receipt of the report, an interactive
meeting between the NWC and selected stakeholders from the state was convened
at the Legacy House, Abuja by the National Chairman.
5 At that
August meeting, the National Chairman communicated the following, which were
adopted as resolutions:
(i) The Senator Mark Committee did not find
me guilty of any financial impropriety, and so I was exonerated of all
allegations against me;
(ii) Pursuant to my being exonerated, the
group of sixteen executive committee members should write to the NWC,
withdrawing their allegations;
(iii) Upon the withdrawal of the allegations, in
consideration of the fact that there’s bad blood between me and most of my
colleagues in the executive committee, particularly the group of sixteen, and
to pave way for peace in the State Chapter, I should step aside as Chairman;
and
(iv) In line with provisions of the party’s
constitution, my deputy, Hon. Amos Gombi shall be Acting Chairman.
6. Gentlemen
of the media, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this explains why we are here
this afternoon. The group of sixteen has written to the NWC as resolved, I have
been communicated by the NWC accordingly and I have also written to the NWC;
the sequence of events is now complete: I am formally stepping aside as the
State Chairman of our great Party.
7. However,
before I do this, I seek your indulgence to make a few remarks.
7.1 First of
all, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the PDP family in the State for
giving me the opportunity to serve in this capacity. I do no take my three-year
sojourn at the helm of affairs of this great Party in the State for granted.
7.2
Secondly, I would like to place on record my gratitude to the national
leadership of the Party for the cooperation I received in my official capacity
as State Chairman, for standing by me at my most difficult moments, and for the
amicable resolution of the crisis that tended to destroy all that we had
laboured to put in place in the last three years.
7.3 You will
recall that the present leadership of the Party in the State came on board at a
time when the Party‘s standing was at an all time low, having lost the
governorship of the State to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
7.4 We, thus,
had the onerous task of breathing life back into the Party. We did the
following, amongst so many other things:
(I) As a first step, while interactions
continued informally, we set up a reconciliation committee to assuage aggrieved
members, bring back those that left before and after the 2015 general
elections, bring back estranged relationships, and recommend steps that would
help us move forward, once again. While I will appreciate those that worked
tirelessly on the committee later, as I bring this conference to a close, I
wish to specially recognize the highly invaluable role played by the Late
Barrister Miskom Puepet in this regard.
(II) Conscious of some of the reasons why the
APC took power from us in the State, we canvassed and adopted the zoning of the
position of governor, deputy governor and speaker for the purposes of the 2019
general elections only, for the first time in the history of the party in the
State. It is my hope that we deepen this understanding as we put our house in
order and prepare for subsequent elections; and
(III) We came up with a framework that saw us
conduct one of the most transparent gubernatorial primary elections in our
twenty-one years of practicing democracy in the State.
8. Gentlemen
of the media, Party faithful, ladies and gentlemen, I cannot leave the stage
without drawing our attention to some developments that have remained pervasive
in the last twenty years in the life of our great Party in the State.
9.Although
Plateau State is the birthplace of our great Party, its leadership, especially
the tenure of the Chairman, has always been dictated by the whims and caprices
of some forces. It is on record, and I stand to be corrected, that apart from
Chief Raymond Dabo who acted as State Chairman after the exit of Dr. Haruna Dabin,
no other was allowed to serve out his term. The self-serving individuals have
over the years, through their activities, hindered the optimal functioning of
the state leadership, consequently leaving in its trail mistrust among the
ranks, and ending up with a fractionalized and factionalized team .My stepping
aside this afternoon is a product of such of the activities of such forces that
usually feel that the leadership of the Party is there to do their bidding,
even at the expense of majority considerations.
10. Let me
use this opportunity to specially speak to those of you who may wish to contest
certain offices/positions in the future. I have noticed over the years that
there is always a tendency of creating confusion within the Party, or outright
detection when things don’t go our way, even when primary elections are
adjudged free, fair and transparent. Let’s resolve to always join hands with
winners in greater interest of the Party.
11. It is my
earnest prayer that my exit today shall cause us to resolve that never again
shall we allow narrow-focused personal or group interests to determine the
tenure of elected leaders of our Party. We cannot afford to have such forced
exits (albeit through trumped up allegations, like in my own case) to continue
as a common feature of our journey.
12. As I
draw this conference to a close, I would like to, on behalf of my colleagues, I
extend our depth of gratitude to the following individuals and groups their
support and contributions of all forms to making the Party in the State to
remain vibrant in spite of being in the opposition:
(i) Senator (General) Jeremiah Useni, our
candidate and leader of the Party, for allowing us lean on his broad shoulders;
he has, amongst other things, including the welfare of our support staff,
ensured that we continue to operate from No. 20/22, Yakubu Gowon Way. He has
also remained resolute in the defense of democracy by encouraging our team of
lawyers to continue the search for the stolen mandate given him by the Plateau
electorate;
(ii) Our esteemed Members of the Board of
Trustees from the State: Senator Ibrahim Mantu, Senator Jonah Jang and
Ambassador (Sir) Fidelis Tapgun, for allowing us leverage on their goodwill at
all times;
(iii) Members of the National Assembly, sitting
and past; Senator Istifanus I. Gang, Hon. Beni Lar, Hon. Solomon Maren,
Hon.John-Bull Shekarau, Hon. Timothy Golu, Hon. Simon Mwadkwon and Hon. Musa
Bagos for their critical interventions to the State Chapter;
(iv) Former Speakers of the State House of
Assembly: ET. Hon. George Daika, Rt. Hon. Michael Dapianlong, Rt. Hon.
IstifanusMwansat, Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Go’ar and Rt. Hon. Titus Alams for
invaluable contributions to the Party;
(v) Sitting and former members of the Plateau
State House of Assembly, for providing guidance to leadership in times of need;
(vi) Our elders who kept coming, giving one
advice or the other, to move forward;
(vii) My colleagues in the executive committee,
for their cooperation, while I presided over the affairs of our Party;
(viii) Our LGA Chapter Chairmen, our grassroots
keepers for holding forth under very difficult settings;
(ix) Our candidates at different levels, for
remaining in the house, giving one form of support or the other, even when
robbed of freely given mandates;
(x) Our aspirants who chose not chicken out
in the face defeat, but remained, providing the needed vibrancy to the Party,
even in opposition;
(xi) All those who have held one position or
the other, both in government and party, for remaining steadfast;
(xii) Our ever vibrant youths, for always being
there in promoting the cause of the Party;
(xiii) Our women, our mothers, for being by our
side steadily;
(xiv) Our faithful and loyal supporters who have
made us to remain strong, even in opposition;
(xv) Our friends and well-wishers, especially
the media who have not only stood by us as an opposition party, but overlooked
our shortcomings;
(xvi) The security agencies who have not only
provided the needed atmosphere for us to operate, but have exercised patience
with us under very difficult times; and finally, not by any means the least,
(xvii) The legal team assembled to handle the cases
involving our candidates at all levels, for working tirelessly, with abiding
faith, even in the face of outright judicial manipulation.
13. On a
personal note, I wish to seize this opportunity to sincerely thank those of you
who believed in me and my innocence concerning the allegations levelled against
me. I am particularly thankful to my deputy, who did not only stand with me,
but demonstrated loyalty, while my travails lasted. I hold no grudges against
those who felt and acted otherwise.
14. s I bow
out today, feeling fulfilled, and having been cleared of the trumped up
allegations, I wish to make a solemn declaration: That as a founding member of
this great Party and a former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I
will continue to avail the Party of my services at all levels and at all times.
My doors shall remain wide open to all of you.
15. In
conclusion, I appeal to us all to forgive one another, let go of sad chapter(s)
of the past , leave yesterday behind, and forge a partnership based on the
ideals of this great Party. I call on those I am leaving behind in the
Executive Committee and other organs of the party to work in harmony with Hon.
Amos Gombi, the incoming chairman as the Party finds its footing once more.
16. Finally,
I call on you all to stand with our candidate and leader, and the Party as we
go the last step to the Supreme Court in search of the mandate freely given to
us by the good people of Plateau State.
Long Live
the Peoples Democratic Party!
Long Live
Plateau State!!
Long Live
the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Post a Comment