YOUTH leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Borno central, Umar Sanda has refuted claims that their state secretariat has been demolished as has been reported in the media since the beginning of the week.
Sanda told newsmen in Maiduguri that the clarification became necessary in view of the misleading media reports making the runs that are capable of destabilizing the peace in the state capital.
Sanda said that he has been receiving calls from some of his members within and outside the State, wanting to confirm if it was true that the PDP state secretariat in Maiduguri has been demolished so that they could fight back.
“As early as 7 am, Monday I rushed to our State secretariat located in Wulari, off Sir Kashim Ibrahim way, around the old UTC which everyone knows to be our State headquarters in Maiduguri within the last fifteen years, and I saw it intact.”
“In fact, I took pictures of the headquarters for anyone to see. To the best of our knowledge, no PDP building has been demolished by anyone, not even any land was revoked. We do not know about the existence of any other PDP State secretariat apart from the one everyone knows around the UTC.” he maintained.
According to him, “If the PDP State Secretariat was actually demolished, I don’t think there would have been peace in Borno today because no one would expect silence from millions of our youth supporters in Borno, and our strong leaders that include former Governors, former Ministers, former Senators and House of Representatives, former chief executives of Federal Boards, Agencies.”
He said that the so-called PDP chieftain that was quoted as having said that the State Secretariat was demolished is not even known to those of them that have been in PDP since the party was formed.
Sanda regretted that some people have entered into their party and are creating factions just for confusion sake adding that “We have been in court and the court has given an order restraining any group from claiming leadership of the PDP.
“It is therefore impossible for discussions as sensitive as changing the State Secretariat of the PDP to have taken place when the contention on the leadership of the PDP in Borno State is yet to be resolved. Members of the public are strongly advised to disregard that mischievous information.”
“For the purpose of emphasis, no PDP secretariat was demolished in Borno State.” The story is totally false, misleading and mischievous. The aim is to cause disaffection, and pretence by some to be in control of the leadership of the PDP in the state and weep up political sentiments across the country which would ultimately destabilize emerging peace in Borno State.
“The PDP as we know, has always worked for Nigeria’s prosperity under an atmosphere of peace and we are determined to win all future elections at the National and State levels” Sanda posited.”
Meanwhile, State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ali Dalori has called on PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan to refuse to be fooled by a Borno faction of his party whose members have been spreading mischievous allegations that the State PDP secretariat in Maiduguri was demolished.
Dalori was speaking in response to media reports alleging that Kola announced that the PDP intends to sue the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima over alleged demolition of the party’s secretariat.
Dalori said that he ought to know that some officials of the PDP in Borno State themselves have since confirmed that their party’s secretariat wasn’t demolished as alleged.
“Perhaps, because the publicity secretary is new and in a hurry to show he can talk, he didn’t even have the patience to find out the actual location of the PDP’s state secretariat in Maiduguri.” If he did, he should have known that for over 15 years the Secretariat has been located at Wulari near the UTC and nothing has happened to it.
“Also because he is new, he doesn’t know that the PDP in Borno State has two factions with one trying to use him in a manner he will be embarrassed. The publicity secretary will be humiliated if he goes to court because he will come to see glaring evidence that first, the PDP secretariat wasn’t demolished and secondly, the building demolished was the old Premier Cinema which had actually served as headquarters of Buhari Youths Organization since 2011 before it was abandoned, then acquired by the APC led Government from its owners for the purpose of conversion to public use.”
“That building isn’t the first nor will it be the last to be acquired for public use with all compensation being regularly paid.” The APC Government has acquired many private and public property including a magnificent CBN staff quarters which is being remodelled to a boarding primary and junior secondary school to admit about 5,000 child-victims of Boko Haram. The Government is building public facilities, particularly schools to cater for over 50,000 children who have been turned orphans by Boko Haram.
“The fact is that these so-called PDP factional members are frustrated by the overwhelming performance of the APC led administration in Borno State and this is why they came up with this confusion in order to derail the administration. They have failed. The APC administration will be more than happy to meet the PDP in court.” Dalori said.
The APC chairman’s reaction is coming on the heels of the youth leader for Borno Central, Umar Sanda’s reaction on Monday to the alleged bulldozing saga of the state secretariat building.
The Borno state PDP is yet to get over the factional quagmire that bedevilled the party for a long time when both former Governors Ali Sheriff and Ahmed Markafi laid claim to the leadership of the party which ended in the Supreme Court of Nigeria in favour of Markafi.
After the supreme court judgement, Senator Markafi has since handed to a new chair Uche Secondus who emerged as the winner in their last convention clearing the way for only one leader at the national level.
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