Sheriff’s factional chairman, publicity secretary arraigned for impersonation

PLATEAU State Factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Gyang Badung and the publicity secretary, Emmanuel Manchang, loyalists of the national chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, have been arraigned at the magistrate’s court in Jos, the state capital, for impersonation.

It will be recalled that the faction loyal to the national chairman, on Tuesday, convened a stakeholders’ meeting involving ward and local government party officials, past councillors, among others and passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the national chairman of the party, Senator Sheriff.

In the suit filed against the duo, the PDP, posited that following its congress that took place in 2016, Honourable Damishi Sango and Honourable John Telpak emerged as state chairman and publicity secretary respectively.

The complainant stated that the two accused persons had been parading themselves as chairman and publicity secretary of the PDP, Plateau State chapter, in media houses and other places, especially Unity FM, in Jos North Local Government Area of the state, adding that the accused persons had been doing a lot of things to disturb public peace by instigating members of the complainant against the leadership of complainant.

Counsel for the complainant, Gyang Zi, therefore, declared that the action of the accused persons amounted to conspiracy, impersonation, criminal intimidation and intentional provocation to disturb public peace and, therefore, stated that any attempt to grant them bail would further aggravate the situation since one of the charges against them was criminal intimidation.

Counsel for the accused persons, Joan Gwom, said the accused persons were people of integrity, honesty and known to be law abiding citizens, adding that granting them bail would not cause any breach of peace in any form.

The magistrate, Tongret Kparbong, therefore, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N5 million each with a plot of land, adding that bailiff must be civil servant on level 12 and above. She, therefore, adjourned the case till May 31.