By G9ija
The embattled acting Chairman of the Katsina State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Alhaji Salisu Lawal Uli, has cried out that all is not well with the party in Katsina State contrary to the claim made by the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Yakubu Lado during the alleged inauguration of the joint presidential and gubernatorial campaign council of the Katsina PDP on Sunday.
Lado while addressing newsmen at the inauguration of Atiku/Lado campaign council in Katsina was quoted to have said: “There is the unity of purpose in Katsina PDP and if elected, my government will give adequate attention to agriculture, including irrigation, besides water and education sectors.”
Reacting to the development in a phone interview with Vanguard, Uli said: “If anybody is telling you that PDP is united in Katsina State, that person is being economical with the truth. The person doesn’t want to say the truth; the person wants to deceive the public.
“The truth is if an important event like the inauguration of the so call joint presidential campaign council is being inaugurated in Katsina and the state party leader, His Excellency, Barrister Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina former Governor) and other core members are not there, including 10 out of the 14 members of the state working committee, then you know that all is not well with the PDP in Katsina State.
“Barrister Ibrahim Shehu Shema, our party leader is the no. 1 Atiku’s associate in Katsina State, and he wasn’t there and you say that you are inaugurating Atiku/Lado Campaign Council. What are you saying!
“The fact that Barrister Ibrahim Shehu Shema is absent and other core Atiku loyalist tells you that that campaign council is not anything near presidential campaign council. If they say it’s gubernatorial campaign council, we can understand and so be it, but not presidential/gubernatorial campaign council.
“Anyway, we can’t stop them since any candidate can chose to inaugurate his campaign council, including state house of assembly candidates.
“Moreover, how can we attend an event in which we are in court to resolve the issue of the state party chairmanship? Do we attend such event with two chairmanship positions or what? You can see why we absent ourselves from that event.”
The embattled acting chairman, however called on all PDP supporters in Katsina state to remain calm, expressing optimism that the issue will be resolved in due course.
Uli equally called on such party members that are making such wrong assertion that the Katsina PDP is united, insisting that they know what to do to make PDP united. “Let them do the needful and stop deceiving the gullible members of the public that all is well with the party in the state.”
Also in a phone interview, the Katsina PDP Legal Adviser, Mustapha Mahuta confirmed to Vanguard that the Salisu Majigiri faction last Wednesday dragged the Yakubu Lado faction before the Federal High Court Katsina, seeking interlocutory injunction to restrain them from parading Lawal Magaji as the substantive chairman of the katsina PDP pending the determination of the suit filed before the court.
However, he noted that the court in its wisdom adjourned the case to November 29 and directed the Majigiri camp to serve and put the Lado faction on notice so that both factions can come and defend the motion.
Mahuta however noted that pending the hearing of the case, Salisu Uli, legally, remains the state acting chairman as the filed court action is challenging the competence of the alleged new chairman, Lawal Magaji.
While describing the alleged appointment of Lawal Magaji as the party’s substantive chairman as a goof, Mahuta said: “There is the need to understand that PDP is a political party governed by its constitution and the constitution of any association is the agreement or social contract between members which should be agreed to be bound. So, section 47(6) which was sighted in the alleged letter is wrong because that condition can only apply if first you have a vacancy.”
