Taraba state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Wednesday elected Rtd Col. Kefas Agbu as the state chairman of the party at a state congress held at the Jolly Nyame Stadium, Jalingo.
The former state publicity secretary, Inuwa Bakare, was elected deputy chairman while Mr. Korea Tafarki emerged the secretary.
While speaking at the convention, Governor Darius Ishaku charged the new leadership of the party to work hard to unite the aggrieved members of the party so as to consolidate on the goodwill the party enjoys both in the state and the country.
Ishaku thanked the former chairman, Chief Victor Bala Kona, for bringing the party the enviable position it enjoys today.
In his inaugural speech, the new elected chairman, Mr. Agbu said he would work hard with his team to make sure that the leadership position the party enjoys in the state is sustained and built upon.
He called on the aggrieved members of the party to put the interest of the party ahead of personal interests and join him to build the party.
Major stakeholders of the party were absent at the congresses.Those conspicuously absent were Senator representing Taraba southern zone, Emmanuel Bwacha, the immediate past speaker of the Taraba House of Assembly, Abel Peter Diah, member representing Ussa, Donga federal constituency, Riman Shawulu, and that of Sadauna Gashaka and Kurimi federal constituency, David Fuoh.
Others were former speaker of the state assembly and member representing Takum two, the governor’s local government, Mark Bako Useni, and that of Takum one, the governor’s representative in the assembly, Garba Agiya, the immediate past deputy speaker of the assembly, Charles Mejankai, and many other key players of the party in the state.
A party source who spoke to Blueprint in confidence on the congresses said before the congresses there had been rumour of skirmishes between Governor Darius Ishaku and the Senator representing Taraba central zone, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha.
He believed that the absence of the aggrieved members was the reason for the impeachment of Abel Peter Diah as speaker of the assembly who was believed to have been in secret meeting with Bwacha.
Another source also told our correspondent that if people are not carried along, massive decamping from PDP to alternative political parties is eminent in the state.
When our correspondent contacted Senator Bwacha in a telephone chart on why he was absent at the congress, he simply said, “one, am bereaved and two, if PDP members like me and other key players of the party in Taraba state are not in attendance, it is bad news for PDP in Taraba.”
