Jangâ€™s ‘Anointedâ€™ Candidates Sweep PDP Primaries in Plateau

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Candidates allegedly backed by the Governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang, swept all primaries for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairmanship positions in all the 15 local government areas of the state held across the state Tuesday.

The primaries however did not hold in Jos North and Wase local government areas for security reasons.

Some of the successful candidates were the chairmen of the recently dissolved local government management committee, who the state believed, performed above average during their one-year tenure.

THISDAY gathered that following their impressive performance, Jang had prevailed on the PDP stakeholders and supporters in their councils to allow the party field them in the council elections slated for January 30, 2014.

The governor was also believed to be allegedly positioning the ‘anointed’ candidates to ensure that the 2015 elections are properly delivered in favour of the candidates he will present to succeed him.

However, a source from the state government debunked the rumour that the governor imposed any candidate on any council.

The source said he constituted a committee of PDP stakeholders in the councils and charged them with the responsibility of producing a credible candidate in each of the council.

And the choices of the stakeholders were the candidates that won the elections.

In the governor’s local government, Jos South, the immediate past Management Committee Chairman, Hon. Peter Vwang Dung, emerged winner of the primaries held at the old secretariat of the council area in Jos yesterday.

Announcing the result yesterday, the returning officer of PDP and state Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mrs. Comfort Piwuna, said Dung secured 115 votes while his opponent, Ishaya Gadu, secured 15 votes.

Speaking to journalists shortly after his election, Dung said he will reach out to the loser so as to join hand with him to move the council forward if voted as chairman of the council in the January election.

According to him, those who had earlier dropped their ambitions are obedient servants and appealed to the people of the local government to come out in large number to vote for PDP in the January 30 elections.

The primaries were however peaceful across the state, except for Jos East that reportedly experienced pockets of misunderstandings among the delegate.