Plateau Labour Party divided over Jang

BY Taye Obateru
Jos—A crack has hit the Labour Party in Plateau State as some erstwhile top notch of the party might have backed out of the initial plan to form a united front against Governor Jonah Jang in the coming election, Vanguard has gathered.

Competent sources close to the group, told Vanguard, weekend, that at least three of the former six governorship aspirants in the group are no longer committed to the alliance because of their alleged dissatisfaction with the process which produced Dame Pauline Tallen, the incumbent Deputy Governor as the governorship candidate of the party.

This development, it was gathered, led to the decision of former Sports Minister, Mr. Damishi Sango, one of the former aspirants, to pick the governorship ticket of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, signaling a parting of ways with the group.

Close associates of the former governorship aspirants, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Vanguard that “some of them are feeling betrayed by the manner the Elders Committee which picked the ‘consensus’ candidate handled the assignment.”

The sources were not specific on their grouse against the process of Tallen’s emergence, but claimed that the elders did not work strictly by the guidelines jointly drawn up by the campaign organisations of the various aspirants in making their choice.

Apparently jolted by the decision of some members of the group to pull out of the alliance, a former top senator from the state known to have been associating with the group was said to have gone on a fence mending visit to some of them last week but reportedly met a brick wall.

The attempt to get some of the top members opting out of the group to change their minds was said to have been part of the reasons for the postponement of the flag off of the governorship campaign of the Labour Party from Monday (February 21) to February 28.

The development is said to have gladdened the Jang camp which sees a breaking of ranks among the group hitherto known as “PDP Two” before they moved into the Labour Party as an advantage.

According to a Jang supporter, “a division among the opposition is better for us.”