Gombe – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held congress to elect its officers in all states in the country and the Federal Capital Territory on Tuesday.
In Gombe state, Mr Joel Adamu, who emerged the chairman of the party for a second term, promised to restore its glory and ensure victory for it in 2019 general elections.
Adamu said that he would achieve the target he had given to himself and the new executive of the party in the state by ensuring genuine and complete reconciliation of members.
He said that the new executive would immediately visit the defected members with a view to ensuring their return to the party.
“We are going to mobilise members; more are coming because many that left the party are ready to join us, and with that, we are going to succeed in 2019,” he said.
In Kebbi state, the congress was deadlocked as two factions of the party failed to elect their leaders.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the factions conducted the elections without the supervision Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Election Committee from Abuja.
In Osun where there had been problems over ward congress which led to its cancellation, a fresh one was conducted and it was peaceful.
The 10-member committee led by former Judge of the Customary Court in the state, Mr Emmanuel Audu, which conducted the ward congress, fixed Wednesday and Thursday for local government and state congresses of the party.
The exercise was disrupted by protest in Niger as delegates accused former governor of the state, Alhaji Abdulkhadir Kure, of hijacking congress’ materials.
Alhaji Abdulrahaman Enagi, former chairman of the party in the state, who spoke on behalf the protesters said that Kure did not allow other contestants to collect nomination forms.
He said that the development gave Kure’s candidates advantage over his candidates on the forms.
He directed his group, particularly those from the Niger South senatorial district, to boycott the congress, saying that he would petition the national leadership of the party on the issue.
But Kure denied the allegation, saying that there was no way he could be in position of the documents expected to be with the National Monitoring Committee.
“I am not in control of any form; the forms are with the national officers.
“What we need in this party now is unity; Kure is not unfair to anybody, democracy is a game of number’’, he said.
There were signs, however, that the congress may hold as intervention by some chieftains of the party led to seeming peace and commencement of accreditation at the party’s secretariat at about 6.30 p.m. (NAN)