Gov. Ortom may never have anything to do with Plateau PDP – Tapgun

By Kingsley Chukwuka

Fidelis Tapgun a former Governor of Plateau State has said Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State may never associate himself with the Plateau State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Daily Times gathered.

Tapgun said the factional group of Plateau PDP may have also swindled Ortom of a large sum of N10 million, money sent to the caretaker committee nominated by the Ortom led committee to settle, reconcile the party and conduct a State Congress election within 30 or 90 days from the day it was inaugurated. 

Speaking with our correspondent in Jos on Thursday, on the unending issues rocking the party, Tapgun said the national body of the party is also helping to kill the party in Plateau.

Recall that a rancorous State Congress elections were held in August 2020, with a former Commissioner for works, Chris Hassan emerging as the State Chairman of the Party.

Before the Congress was held stakeholders of the party were in Benue at the Ortom led committee where an elaborate meeting was held, with a resolution that a caretaker committee will be put in place to resolve all the issues at stake that will lead to the withdrawal of all litigations in court.

The resolution also stipulates that the caretaker committee would have within 30 to 90 days resolve all matters and then conduct State Congress.

However, after three days of having the committee come on board with it Chairman Sen. Suleiman Adokwe, they slated a date for the State Congress to be held, without recourse to all the agreement reached with Ortom.

Meanwhile the Governor had earlier realeased the some of N10 million to the committee to comence assignment given to them which was supposed to elaps within 30 to 90 days, but rather than get to work, they quickly fixed a date for elections in three days after inauguration, our correspondent gathered.

Piqued by the development, 40 of the aspirants for the State Congress, led by the former House of Representatives member, Hon. Bitrus Kaze pulled out of the election for lack of transparency and sincerity, our correspondent reports.

Consequently, the elections held and produced Chris Hassan as Chairman of the party, a development which has further split the party as the forty aggrieved members vowed to run a parallel Party.

Receiving the news, Ortom said never again will he interfere in Plateau PDP affairs, Tapgun told our correspondent, adding that with the current status quo, the State PDP will not win election in Plateau.

“How can they win election when a large shunk of the party members are outside,” Tapgun repeated.

He said the Chris Hassan led faction came to him after the election but he refused to congratulate them.

“I told Chris Hassan that I will not congratulate him because due process was not followed. I told him that the party must be reconciled and fresh Congress be conducted because that is the right thing to do”.

Tapgun who expressed sadness over the unending crisis rocking the party said, “as a founding member of the PDP, I am really concerned about the crisis in the state chapter of the Party.”

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