You’re ungrateful, Jang lashes PAM members

Former Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, has described members of Plateau for Atiku Movement (PAM) as ingrates, adding that they are rehashing the same old rhetoric of reconciliatory meetings.

PAM, which is working for Atiku Abubakar’s presidential bid in Plateau State, had, on Tuesday, passed a vote of no confidence in the G-5 governors Jang for supporting calls for the resignation of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Sen. Iyorchia Ayu.

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, leads the G-5 governors, also known as Integrity Group. Addressing newsmen, yesterday, at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Jos, PAM spokesman and former Speaker of Plateau House of Assembly, Istifanus Nwansat, argued: “Should Ayu resign, what happens to the Deputy National Chairman (North), who is required by the PDP constitution to assume leadership? This leaves room for possible prolonged litigation.”

According to Nwansat, shifting the national chairmanship of the party at this moment will affect other positions, as well as cause broad-based consultations and consensus, for which time is not available.

However, Jang said, yesterday, that PAM failed to state that each time Atiku’s emissaries met with members of the Integrity Group, the conclusion had always been that they would report G-5 governor’s position to their principal and revert.

“But how many of those emissaries have actually returned after reporting to their principal? None.

“On the resignation of the BoT chair to make way for a Southern chairman, one would imagine that it is like going to the doctor with a complaint of stomach ache and a surgery is performed on the head as a remedy. You don’t treat symptoms while leaving the cancer. There has never been a time a demand was made for the resignation of the Board of Trustees (BoT) chair,” he added.

Media Consultant to Jang, Clinton Garuba, stated, yesterday, that it was shocking for leaders of PDP to be using the Labour Party (LP) as a yardstick.

Garuba stated: “In case they have forgotten, the PDP is a party that has come of age, has a structure and a constitution that has been tested over the years. Even if LP has engaged in what is not right, justice and equity will be justice and equity anywhere and at anytime.
It must be made clear that the demand for the resignation of the party chairman is borne out of the need for the equitable distribution of elective offices in the party. One wonders the difficulty in understanding that position.

“However, it will amount to crying louder than the bereaved since the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, who should be in the forefront of defending the chairman, is chief among those calling for his resignation.”

He said the Integrity Group, which Jang is a member, had repeatedly declared its doors were open for reconciliation because members of the group are PDP members through and through.

For him, it is Integrity Group’s desire that Atiku not only contests the election but wins, which can only be achieved in an equitable manner, not with the prevailing atmosphere of lopsidedness.