Ado PDP Upholds James Oche As Sole PDP Chairmanship Candidate

The Ado PDP Executive Working Committee, Caucus and critical stakeholders have condemned Mr.Stephen Aluna’s Crass Political Subterfuge and rejected plans by the Commissioner for Housing, Hon Ekpe Ogbu to produce the next Ado Council Chairman through the back door.

1. It has come to the notice of the cohesive caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State that, Mr. Stephen Aluna, the Party Chairman, acting for personal and selfish political gains or that of whoever may have employed his services, has taken his inordinate plot to defy the consensus arrangement of the Ado PDP too far, hence the need for this press release.

2. He purportedly called a meeting yesterday Saturday, 18th January, 2020 in Makurdi, the Benue State Capital wherein, he alongside his collaborators took a decision, as to which ward in Ado should produce the next elected Chairman in the March 2020 Council Polls.

3. That while we strongly express doubts as to the validity of a meeting purportedly held and which is not in the sole responsibility of the Party Chairman to convene, we state unequivocally that, a meeting of such magnitude, for such purpose could not have been properly called without consultation and consent of the relevant political office holders of Ado as well as party leaders and critical stakeholders.

4. We make a bold statement of fact that, neither Dr. Francis Ottah Agbo, the leader of the party and House of Representatives Member for Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency nor Hon. Agnes Uloko, the State Assembly Member representing Ado nor James Oche, the Caretaker Chairman of Ado Local Government Council were aware of the meeting or attended the hogwash. Similarly, neither the former Deputy Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Dr. Stephen Onmeje nor Chairman of the Ado 2019 PDP Campaign Organisation, Chief Patrick Ogbu and several other critical stakeholders were contacted or attended the meeting. This leaves every sane mind in doubt as to whether there was a meeting in the first place. The PDP Constitution and convention envisage that any PDP meeting without the consent and involvement of these leaders is null and void! All thesame, we have to clear the air for the benefit of the unsuspecting public.

5. That it amounts to a fruitless exercise of complete nullity that the Ado PDP Caucus which is constitutionally empowered to consider issues relating to zoning was not party to such a purported meeting that allegedly zoned the chairmanship to Ogege, a Ward which had produced elected Council Chairman in person of Hon. Cletus Okeh of blessed memory!

6. We further state categorically that, the PDP family in Ado had since October, 2019, put the zoning of the next elected chairman to rest. It was unanimously agreed that, Apa Ward which has never produced elected chairman be allowed to take the shot, and Hon. James Oche was unanimously adopted as sole candidate. Oche’s adoption was based on his stellar performance. This is contrary to Hon. Ekpe Ogbu and Aluna’s scheming to produce a puppet from Ogege Ward who would be used as conduit pipe to underdevelop Ado. We have long left Egypt and are not in a hurry to return there!

7. The PDP family in Ado hereby expresses its disaffection with Mr. Stephen Aluna’s penchant to run the party in the Local Government as his private company and further wish to call him and his sponsor, Hon. Ekpe Ogbu to order in the interest of the party.

8. We expressly distant ourselves from Mr. Stephen Aluna’s inordinate and sinister act, and reject in totality, such purported meeting which to us, did not hold anywhere in Makurdi, the Benue State Capital.

9. We also call on the State Working Committee of the Party to check the conduct of Mr. Aluna which is capable of causing disaffection in Ado Local Government Council. A party Chairman should build and not destroy! Finally, we call on Adolites not to despair but renew their support for PDP and James Oche as the next elected chairman. PDP!!!

Signed: 1. Hon. Oche Onminyi Otte, Vice Chairman, Ado PDP 2. Hon. Moses Ojah, Ado PDP Secretary.