The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Donga Local Government of Taraba State on Thursday, caused a serious stir as they engaged in physical combat in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, when stakeholders from Local Government Council over the choice of candidate in the LG election in the state.
The fight which took place in the Executive Chambers of the State Government House, came as a result of their inability to arrive at a consensus candidate who will fly the PDP in the council for the forthcoming local government elections in the state.
The leadership of the party had instructed all the party’s stakeholders in each local government area of the state, to come up with a consensus candidate in their local council.
However, the inability of the stakeholders from Donga local government to come up with the name of a candidate who will fly the party’s banner at the council election was observed to have ignited the fights which compelled the former Majority Leader of the State House of Assembly, Captain (Rtd) Douglas Neatse, to descend on some persons from the council who opposed his choice of candidate.
Neatse who engaged in a physical fight with some party stakeholders from the council, was alleged to have been desperate to impose an unpopular candidate on the people of the council ahead of the forthcoming poll.
According to one of the stakeholders, Garalie Suntai, who spoke with newsmen after the incident, and was also allegedly slapped by the former majority leader, said trouble started when all PDP critical stakeholders in the local government resolved to respect the PDP zoning arrangement that had been on ground since 1999.
Suntai, a former councillor, said the former majority leader, who opposed the stakeholders’ decision, insisted that the political zoning arrangement of the PDP in the council would not be allowed to take effect.
The victim who seemed to be Annoyed by the alleged misdemeanour of the former assembly member, said, “It is unfortunate that Ndatse, who is a product of PDP zoning arrangements in Donga council, has chosen to oppose the idea that has kept PDP in Donga under one umbrella.”
Adding that “Why he is fighting us publicly is because 99 per cent of us have agreed to consider the normal zoning arrangement that PDP has been using in the local government, which has kept the people in peace politically.
The former Assembly member, according to Suntai, “is opposing the decision that can best be described as a unanimous decision,” stating that he is “insisting on ideas that would not only consume PDP in the local government but also capable of bringing disunity among the various ethnic groups in the area.
Another stakeholder from the council, who corroborated Suntai, and spoke under anonymity, expressed sadness at the alleged inability of the state governor, Agbu Kefas, to allow aspirants seeking the position of council chairmen and councillors to emerge through primary.
He said, “His decision for the candidates to arrive via consensus would be inimical to the growth of our great party and could as well cause more crises across the sixteen local government councils.”
Meanwhile, all efforts to speak with the former majority leader, who was alleged to be at the centre of the controversy, proved abortive as he failed to pick up phone calls or reply to the Short Message Service sent to him.