The leading opposition party in the October 6 Plateau North senatorial by-election in Plateu State, the Labour Party (LP), appears to be going into the election as a divided house. Isaac Shobayo profiles the issues at stake.BASED on the prevailing situation in Plateau State, it is glaring that the centre can no longer hold in the Labour Party (LP) in the state. The party, which was given a lifeline by some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains like former Governor Joshua Dariye ( now a senator), former deputy governor, Mrs Pauline Tallen; former deputy governor, Chief Michael Botmang; Senator Venmark Dangin, former Minister of State for Communication, Alhaji Nakande Dasuki; Honourable Lumumba Dah-Adeh and a host of others in a futile bid to wrestle power from the incumbent governor, Jonah Jang, has been lying prostrate due to internal wrangling.These prominent politicians dumped the PDP and joined the LP shortly before the 2011 elections over irreconcilable differences with Governor Jang and some of his cronies steering the affairs of the party. They operated like people of like minds, with the determination to chase Jang and those around him out of government but the spirit of camaraderie that bound them together in the LP was short-lived by ambitions and the quest of some of them to govern the state. The inability of some of them to harmonise their governorship aspirations depleted the strength of the party, despite its popularity as a formidable opposition to the PDP government in the state. The primary election to elect the standard-bearer of the party threw the LP into crisis ahead of the governorship election in 2011, forcing some of the aggrieved aspirants and their supporters to jettison the party for alternative platforms to contest the governorship election. The party, which was expected to give the PDP a good fight, was humiliated in the governorship election and thrown into a comatose thereafter. The Nigerian Tribune learnt that those who were supposed to be rallying points and to properly position the party suddenly went to sleep, making subterranean moves to return to the PDP. Following the death of Senator Gyang Dantong, the senator representing Plateau North, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed October 6, 2012, for the by-election to fill his vacant seat. Political parties in the state perceived this as another opportunity to test their popularity, especially against the PDP. The general impression in the state is that the by-election is going to be a straight fight between the PDP and the LP considering the array of bigwigs in both parties.However, the recent attempts by the LPto conduct its primary election to pick its standard-bearer for the Plateau North senatorial seat for the October 6 election snowballed into confusion. In the primary election conducted by a cross section of party members, former chairman of Jos North Local Government Area, Dr Danladi Atu, was elected with 108 votes to defeat his opponent, Honourable Lumumba Dah-Adeh. But the way and manner the primary was conducted has been generating ripples. It was learnt that a gross section of overzealous members, sponsored by two prominent politicians in the party, spearheaded the primary without recourse to laid down procedures. It was alleged that the primary was held in the absence of state executives of the party and the aspirants. The state officialswere said to be in Abuja, along with other staunch members attending a meeting with the national chairman of the party when thegroup seized the opportunity to conduct the primary. A feeler from the party also revealed that only one of the aspirants purchased a form for the contest.Apparently disturbed by the development, National Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Abubakar Salami, described the primary election as a charade, saying that it was done without the consent of the National Secretariat of the party and without recourse to the party and INEC's guidelines. Salami told the Nigerian Tribune on phone that the INEC hadnot given the party a date for the primary, adding that the primary was conducted by some overzealous party members who wanted to smuggle in an aspirant of their choice as the candidate of the party.'I was surprised that the primary was conducted. Most of the state officials of the party were in Abuja when we heard the news. It was conducted by some overzealous party members who wanted to smuggle in a particular aspirant without recourse to the party. I can assure you that they have wasted their money. When INEC gives us a date, we will conduct the primary.'The party is one; there is no division. Before this controversy, we had Honourable Lumumba Dah-Adeh. He had collected nomination form was and expected to return it today (last Friday). He is the only one we recognise as an aspirant as far as the primary is concerned. 'I wonder why there is confusion. We have somebody that contested before on the platform of the party in the last general election. However, there is no cause for alarm; things will be sorted out and a proper primary will be conducted,'' he said. However, the LP in the state has rectified what it called the anomaly and endorsed Dah-Adeh as its consensus candidate, with the full support and endorsement of its National Secretariat, while Dr Atu has defected to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and picked its form to contest the senatorial primary. Lumumba is no pushover as far as the politics of the state is concerned. He was a member of House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 and has considerable influence, especially among the youths. But the question agitating the minds of observers is whether the LP can go into the October 6 by-election with its house divided and still make an impact. While answering questions from newsmen recently in Jos, Lumumba however dispelled the alleged factionalisation in the party as a mere insinuation, saying all the bigwigs of the party were still together, especially over the project at hand. It was learnt that the development has polarised the party. Tallen is said to be supporting Lumumba's aspiration while Dariye is supporting Dr Atu, who was the chairman of Jos North while Dariye was in office as the governor of the state.Knowing the consequences of going into an election with divided house, a sourceclose to the party revealed some groups of elders have waded in with the aim of resolving the impasse before the election. Analysts however question the rationale behind the stalwarts of the party leaving the PDP in 2011 if they were not willing to harmonise their aspirations. It will be recalled that, in the wake of the 2011 elections, there was a commotion over the gubernatorial ticket of the party, in which the likes of a former Minister of Sports, Honourable Damishi Sango and Mr Chris Giwa abandoned the LP platform for the ANPP and ACN, respectively, to contest the governorship election. The decision of the duo and their supporters affected the chances of the LP in the election.From all indications, the ugly scenario of 2011 is repeating itself. Though the Nigerian Tribune learnt that some of the elders of the party are making moves to stabilise the party before the by-election, but will those who had jumped ship along with their supporters make a detour' To get out of the woods before the election, the party needs to engage in serious reflections.
Click here to read full news..
