The fight to maintain political relevance and the control of the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP, in Shendam local government among two political leaders from the party may pave way for any of the opposition parties to clinch the Chairmanship position in the area.
Daily News Breakers gathered that the PDP in Shendam produced their candidates through what they terms as consensus after repeated failed congresses both at some wards and local government levels as well as failed primary elections for Councillors and Chairmanship flag bearers of the party.
The said hasty consensus that produced Hon. Kemi Nshe, a two time Executive Chairman and the immediate past Transition Implementation Committee Chairman of the same Council in order to meet the deadline of the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission PLASIEC, does not go down well with the camp of the former National Assembly member who represented Shendam, Mikang, Quaan’pan federal constituency, Hon. Johnbull Shekarau from 2015 to 2019.
The two political leaders, Kemi and Shekarau contested the Governorship position of the state under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party PDP, in 2019 against their Kingsman, Rt. Hon. Simon Lalong second term bid but all lost to Gen. Jeremiah Usaini at the primary.
Findings revealed that Rt. Hon. Johnbull Shekarau had been the political leader that sustained the party at the local government level in Shendam in their past 8 years of being in the opposition.
For sustaining the party in the past eight years, Daily News Breakers learned that the party at the state level are more comfortable with Hon. Johnbull Shekarau, but Hon. Nshe Kemi is more favour by the Executive Governor of the State, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang because they were chairmen of their various local government together before they were sacked by the then Gov. Simon Lalong’s administration in 2015.
Despite efforts to reconcile the two political leaders of the PDP in the local government as this medium learned there was a truce between them in the interest of the party, some Shekarau supporters who spoke on condition of anonymity said they rather vote for another party than Kemi Nshe in the PDP.
Parts of the truce that does not go down well with the Shekarau’s Camp according to one of them was allowing Hon. Nshe Kemi’s camp to bring 12 Councillors while their principal, Rt. Hon. Shekarau to bring only 8 out of the 20 State Electoral Wards.
The crisis has spilled hatred and political acrimony amongst the supporters of the two camps which has been lingering and efforts by the state party officials to broker peace is not yielding positive result as the two gladiators are not willing to end up the feud.
Although the Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang had earlier in his wisdom gave the two of them an appointment as Rt. Hon. Johnbull Shekarau was appointed Chairman of House of Assembly Service Commission and Hon. Kemi Nshe as TIC Chairman of Shendam to bring peace between them, yet that couldn’t yield any positive impact.
Again, Daily News Breakers gathered that the Governor also initiated the sharing formula of party’s structure at ward and local government levels among the two gladiators but still didn’t yield the desired result.
Although the Hon. Nshe Kemi’s camp are very confident of winning the October 9th elections, opposition parties in Shendam especially the All Progressives Congress APC and Action Democratic Party, ADP who are already leveraging on the impasse in PDP, might pull surprises at the end of the day.
Already, opposition APC and the ADP in the local government are also confident of winning the election because they have presented to the people popular candidates that have integrity.
The APC has Hon. Basil Piapkum, a one time caretaker Chairman of the Council and the ADP has Hon. Na’anlong Sadiq, the 2019 PDP flag bearer for House of Assembly, Shendam constituency.
The APC in Shendam local government is also faced with internal dispute, as there was a walkout by an aggrieved chairmanship aspirant during the primary that produced Hon. Basil Piapkum which the party is yet to resolve as at the time of this publication.
The crisis in APC is between the Sen. Simon Lalong camp and the former Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen camp.
The ADP chairmanship candidate, Hon. Na’anlong Sadiq might likely take the day as some of the aggrieved PDP members will prefer him against the APC as a political party and also the aggrieved APC members will prefer him than voting the PDP..
The PDP cannot afford to lose Shendam local government to opposition, because Shendam is the political headquarters of the Southern zone. Also the opposition All Progressives Congress APC, will fight to secure Shendam local government being the hometown of the immediate past Governor of the State and leader of the party, Sen. Simon Lalong and the National Vice Chairman of the party, Hon. Festus Fwanter among other top APC big wigs.