Gombi vs Hassan: How power tussle tears Plateau PDP
Despite the forced resignation of a former Minister of Sports, Damishi Sango as Plateau State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the leadership crisis is far from over.
Since the return of democracy to the nation in 1999, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been ruling party in Plateau State until in 2015 when it lost power to the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the jettisoning of the governorship zoning arrangement which generated sympathy to the APC to emerge victorious.
After the 2015 election however, the PDP has continued to remain strong and kept strategizing on how to win back power in 2019. Their hope was heightened when the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, won in Plateau State, and they were very confident of winning the governorship election against the incumbent Governor, Simon Lalong. But their expectation never came to fruition as the APC won.
Consequent upon the outcome of the 2019 election, serious crises rocked the state PDP as some aggrieved members accused the then chairman, Damishi Sango, of causing their defeat and as a result wanted him out. That was the genesis of the crises that has continued to rock the party till date.
Those aggrieved members then came out with allegations against Sango and his deputy, Amos Gombi, and suspended them. Sango and Gombi’s suspension was over alleged diversion of Presidential campaign funds during the 2019 General Elections as well as N9.8 million meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IPDs).
The suspension was contained in a resolution signed by 16 members of the state executive of the party.
But Sango fought back, saying his suspension was illegal.
He also denied any wrong doing and misapplied of funds.
In their resolution the party said the suspension was with immediate effect, and that the party’s Vice Chairman, Northern Zone, Chris Hassan, takes over as the Acting State Chairman pending the outcome of the disciplinary committee set up to investigate and recover the funds.
Nonetheless, Sango somehow got a reprieve and manage to continue in office.
In effect, the situation sharply factionalized the party especially over occupation and usage of the secretariat offices. An office was opened for Chris Hassan by his faction opposite that of Sango and at every slightest instinct there were frictions between the two groups.
Hassan spoke to our correspondent upon occupying the office. He said: “We intend to bring about accountability and inclusiveness where all hands would be on deck and everyone playing their roles accordingly in the party.”
Somehow, Sango’s men appeared to retake the secretariat and they became the most prominent faces around the premises. Nonetheless, the crises raged on and pressure was continually mounted on Sango to resign, that was also one of the demands of the Hassan faction. The PDP national body waded into the crises and Sango was urged to resign for peace to reign and for party to progress.
Sango then resigned and handed over to his deputy, Gombi.
But the crises persisted as the other faction still continued their opposition and also insisted that Gombi too should go. But Gombi had the backing of the national body and an appointment letter signed by the National Secretary of the party, Senator Umaru Ibrahim Tsauri, was given to him to act as the state chairman.
Gombi also told our correspondent on phone that he remains the authentic acting chairman of the party as recognized by the national body of the party, and that any other factional group was illegal.
But, the appointment letter did not stop the crises until it came to some form of climax when Hassan’s faction stormed the party secretariat at about 6am in an emergency meeting to remove Gombi and reaffirm Hassan as the Chairman. But the Gombi faction got wind and some of his supporters stormed the secretariat to halt the meeting. Security operatives had to shoot and use teargas to bring the situation under control.
Before the meeting was disrupted, the faction resolved that they have removed Gombi as the acting Chairman and endorsed Hassan as new state chairman.
Briefing journalists on the meeting, Senator Istifanus Gyang, representing Plateau North Senatorial District, said the removal of Gombi was in line with the constitution of the party.
“The position of the state chairman of the party was zoned to Plateau North Senatorial District and since the former chairman, Damishi Sango resigned, Section 47 (6) of the PDP constitution stipulates that Plateau North was expected to fill in a candidate for the chairmanship position and not Plateau Central where Amos Gombi comes from.
“As you are aware, we have being having some little family problems in the PDP that led to the resignation of the state chairman, and when a chairman resigns, the deputy chairman automatically becomes the acting chairman. But the constitution of our party says any member who resigns, the area that brought him will nominate someone to replace him, whatever is his position.
“We started this process by the northern zone where the former chairman comes from and there was a nomination for the replacement. A letter was written by the Executive Council of the Northern Zone to the State Executive Council (SEC) to inform them that someone had been nominated for the replacement of the former chairman who resigned and the SEC members met and ratified the nomination of Chris Hassan as chairman of the party,” he said.
Thereafter, the Gombi faction also addressed newsmen at the secretariat. A former Speaker, Plateau State House of Assembly, Emmanuel Go’ar, who spoke on behalf of the group, alleged that Senator Gyang used his security personnel to manhandle supporters of Gombi, thereby injuring one of his aides, Mathew.
Go’ar who was accompanied by the governorship running mate of
PDP in the last election, Dr. James Dalop, described the exercise of the Hassan faction as a failed coup purported to cause division amongst the peaceful people of Plateau State.
Interestingly, the two factions have prominent people of the party behind them. Supporting Gombi’s faction are PDP governorship candidate, Jeremiah Useni and his running mate, Dalop, former Speaker Go’ar and former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, among others. The Hassan’s faction has among others, former Governor Jonah Jang, Senator Gyang, former Member, House of Representatives, Timothy Golu and Dachung Bagos representing Jos South/East Federal Constituency.
Speaking on the attempted removal of Gombi few days after the fracas at a stakeholders meeting, Senator Useni described the Hassan group as “coup plotters who deserved to be shot” after failing the coup adding that they are confused and want to confuse others.
By and large, this power tussle between the Gombi and the Hassan groups is not only about the present, but geared towards the forthcoming state congress of the party where a new chairman would be elected.
That is where the interesting twist and calculation in the tussle lies. In a sense, it is not about Gombi or Hassan because they may not even be favourable candidates to the godfathers.
Inherent in all these calculations also lay ethnic and zonal agenda, as some persons want the chairman of the party to come from a particular part of the state. Therefore, intriguing days are ahead.
But the crises persisted as the other faction still continued their opposition and also insisted that Gombi too should go. But Gombi had the backing of the national body and an appointment letter signed by the National Secretary of the party, Senator Umaru Ibrahim Tsauri, was given to him to act as the state chairman.