As Kogi East stakeholders have voiced their strong objection to interim chairman Senator Danjuma Lah and his secretary Senator Philip Aruwa Gyunka pushing their preferred candidates on the party ahead of the state congress, Kogi State politics are heating up.
The Kogi PDP Elders Forum is the umbrella organisation for the stakeholders, who are party elders from nine local government areas in Kogi East and West. They are adamantly opposing attempts by Danjuma Lah and Philip Aruwa Gyunka to transfer the party structure to former Kogi West senator Dino Melaye and his allies.
Obasanjonews.com has learned that they have accused this clique of plotting, as demonstrated in the most recent gubernatorial election, to thwart Kogi East’s involvement in the party and utilise it for personal political advantage.
The elders claim that since taking over as interim chairman, Lah’s objective has been to guarantee Melaye’s dominance inside the party hierarchy.
Read Also: Suspension of state publicity secretary and others by Benue PDP Ward EXCO
They said there were intentions to provide Melaye’s nominees, notably Capt. Joe Agada, who is being encouraged to oppose the decision of Kogi East stakeholders, eighty percent of the state executive seats.
The party elders encouraged the national headquarters to hasten Lah and his secretary’s departure, noting their inability to offer effective leadership and denouncing the anomalies in the state. They also warned that they will resist and reject any attempts to force candidates on the party.
The elders declared in a statement that “we will resist and reject their plots, but we will not be provoked to leave the party.”
We demand that Danjuma Lah and his secretary leave the state as soon as possible because of their appalling failure. This is a call to the national headquarters.
“Under their direction, the PDP leadership is a dismal failure, incapable of even releasing a statement denouncing the anomaly in the state.”
They cautioned that any attempt to force candidates onto the party would trigger a crisis that might have a significant impact on the party’s standing in the state.
Party members and political watchers are keeping a close eye on the political drama to see how things work out. To ensure that the party stays democratic and inclusive, the Kogi East stakeholders are resolute in opposing any attempts to seize control of the party structure.
