By: Joseph A. Adudu, May 14, 2022
Stakeholders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Plateau state have allegedly uncovered plans by the Plateau State Governor, Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong to destabilize the fertile chances of the opposition to take over power from the APC led government come 2023.
The Governor is said to be scared of the chances of his party following his dismal performance in the last 7 years.
Reliable sources informed AfricanDrum that having seen clear signs of failure in the 2023 polls, the Governor is said to have decided to sponsor two of his close confidants to defect to the PDP to buy the gubernatorial form with the intent to release huge sum of money to sponsor them to ensure one of them pick the PDP Governoship ticket during the party Primary Election scheduled for next week.
Our sources further hinted that one is a businessman and the other, a close confidant who worked Against the PDP in 2015.
However, this publication learnt that discerning minds have since discovered this plan when two of the governorship aspirants, (one from Kanke and the other from Mangu) suddenly joined the race for the governorship even when they were neither formally received to the party in their various Wards nor granted waivers in line with the provisions of the PDP constitution.
The alleged plan of Governor Lalong is to use funds to secure the PDP ticket for any of the two persons in order to make it smooth for his anointed candidate in the APC from Kanke and win the secondary polls with ease.
A top source who is also a founding member of the APC in the state spoke to our reporter but pleaded not to be named thus, "I am bona-fide member of the ruling APC in the state and am fully aware of what's happening.
"The Governor is a smart guy and he is using the crisis within the PDP to penetrate and score some goals. Apart from sponsoring some cases in court, the Governor has asked two of his bossom friends to buy PDP gubernatorial forms, one from Kanke and the other from Mangu, (the LGAs likely to produce candidates from the two political parties).
"Because the PDP is adopting the delegate system, it will be easier to penetrate the delegates with money to vote for new comers who will in turn slow down for his APC candidate during the general election in 2023", he said.
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According to the source, one of the sponsored aspirants, an Abuja based auto businessman, who was the last to purchase his form, is boasting that, "what money cannot do, more money can do". Speaking further, the source said, "He has been pretending to have some serious crisis with Lalong whom he accused of betraying him having worked for him in 2015, but I can authoritatively tell you that he does that to create an innocent impression and draw sympathy for himself so that money loving delegates will go with him blindly".
When contacted on phone to elicit his response on the alleged infiltration of the PDP by Governor Lalong, Plateau State Chairman of the APC, Hon. Rufus Bature simply said, "I am not aware of that".
However, findings by this publication revealed Eagle eyes within the PDP have since identified the moles and asked the delegates to collect money from them but not to vote for them. "Whoever brings money, help him to spent it. Whoever thinks he can use money to wash away the many years of labour of genuine party men and women and pocket the party, teach him a lesson.
"Collect their money but don't vote for them. Let's vote for people who have worked hard to keep the party together. Let us show the money bags the true Plateau spirit of patriotism and objectivity", the stalwarts were said to have urged delegates.
Our source further revealed that the leadership of PDP has equally adequately prepared its delegates for the said primary and had asked them to vote the people of their choices. This, the source said was in line with the earlier promised of the leadership of the party in the state to provide a level playing ground for all. A delegate who also wouldn't want his name in print said, "we have resolved to vote an Aspirant who can work for the party. An Aspirant who knows Plateau State very well and has its interest at heart. An Aspirant that has been in tune with the people. We cannot allow bussinessmen to play over our sensibilities. We cannot allow businessmen and retirees to take us for granted. The fact that we are an opposition party doesn't mean we have no conscience or have no direction or don't know what to do. We know our leaders and those who came with clean hearts", the delegate said.
Political parties form the very core of the existence of nation’s democracy, more so, that ours is still nascent. Conversely, pundits constantly held that any undue influence or manipulation on political parties especially during primary elections where candidates are produce
for general elections will certainly have a ripple effect, not only in the political landscape, but in other related spheres such as social justice, economic growth, among others.
The influence of moneybags in Nigerian politics most especially in the last seven years has continued to hold sway in dampening the hopes of the nation in achieving true democracy. After all, the whole idea of democracy is the free will of the people in electing their political leaders, and where such “free will” is manipulated through the influence of political juggernauts, the country is further pulled away from the attainment of the best democratic policies.
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