A plot to change the list of the 678 delegates for the 2015 Adamawa governorship primaries has made tongues to wag in the state yesterday.
Sources said that an interest group in the Presidency is orchestrating the move, but the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) is resisting it.
The party is insisting on free and fair primaries to avert threats of protest votes if the process is manipulated.
A zoning of the governorship slot to Adamawa Central has turned out various aspirants, of which the major ones are a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu; a former gubernatorial candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Marcus Gundiri; a former Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission(UBEC), Dr. Ahmed Modibbo Mohammed, and a former member of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Auwalu Tukur, who is the son of the immediate past National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
Others are Senator Abubakar Girei, Gen. Aliyu Kama, and Governor Bala Ngilari, who is from Northern Senatorial District but interested in the contest.
All the aspirants, PDP leaders and stakeholders are insisting on free and fair primaries.
A committee led by Senator Bala Adamu was inaugurated by the National Secretariat of the PDP to conduct ward congresses last Saturday, but due to the insurgency in the state, the committee met with all the aspirants where it was agreed upon that the list of delegates used for the botched governorship primaries on September 6 be retained for the new one.
The Adamu panel later reviewed and harmonised the list with all the aspirants, PDP leaders and stakeholders in the state.
While the panel was about submitting its report at the National Secretariat of PDP on Wednesday in Abuja, however, the Congress Appeal Committee stopped the exercise because of what was termed as “likely amendments to the list of the 678 delegates.”
The stoppage was attributed to “order from above” by some sources in the presidency.
A source said: “There is a fresh plot to scuttle the governorship primaries in Adamawa through the alteration of the list of delegates. While the Adamu panel was about to submit its report, the Appeal Committee phoned from Yola halting the exercise because of the need to make some amendments to the list of delegates.
“The directive from the Appeal Committee was strange because there was no petition before it to have warranted the stoppage of the report of the committee.
“We learnt some forces in the Presidency, led by an influential official from the North-east, were not pleased with the list and vowed to alter it.
“They believe the delegates may not favour an anointed aspirant. Yet, this same list of delegates was used for the election of the former governorship candidate of the party, ex-Acting Governor Umaru Fintiri.
“We are worried that any alteration might lead to a fresh crisis in the PDP in the state.”
Another source said: “President Goodluck Jonathan and the National Working Committee should stop this plot to impose delegates on Adamawa PDP outside the list agreed upon by all the aspirants, leaders and PDP members in the state.
“The only way PDP can retain its control of Adamawa state is if its governorship candidate emerges through a transparent process.”
Efforts to get the state chairman of the party, Chief Joel Madaki, to comment on the issue proved abortive as he was among the team that accompanied the Adamu panel team to Abuja