Cold war in Taraba PDP as police seal party secretariat

Two people are vying for the role of state chairman, giving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chapter in Taraba State’s leadership issue a new dimension.
The troubled acting chairman, Alhaji Inuwa Bakari, was prevented from taking office by supporters of the former chairman, who had just been ousted from his position by Justice Nuhu Adi of the State High Court, according to DAILY POST.
Recall that Justice Adi recently approved all of Bakari’s demands and gave him the go-ahead to step in as the party’s interim chairman. He also issued a warning to the other person, Bawa, telling him to quit posing as the party’s chairman.
With both leaders fighting for the role, the situation within the party has grown unstable. As a result, the state secretariat of the party has been shut down by the state police command.
The party’s secretariat, which is situated in Jalingo’s city center, is currently under the custody of highly armed anti-riot police and civil defense personnel.
These operations have been confirmed by the state police command, who said that they were required to stop unrest in the state.
According to the command’s spokesperson, Abubakar Usman, the police’s quick action stopped supporters of the two groups from setting the secretariat on fire.
Additionally, he said that Bawa and Inuwa have been ordered not to visit the secretariat until an amicable solution has been reached.
The command also issued a strong warning to both parties’ supporters to avoid the secretariat, stating that anyone discovered there would be subject to harsh punishment.
When contacted, Bawa, who formerly worked as the former governor’s special adviser on political matters, claimed to have a Federal High Court decision recognizing him as the party’s actual chairman.
He denied being in charge of the turmoil and claimed confidence that the federal supreme court’s ruling would ultimately result in his vindication.
Speaking in his own right, Bakari, who was recently appointed acting chairman by the State High Court, denied Bawa’s assertion and insisted that the court had not ruled in favor of his rival.
The court said it lacked authority to hear the case, he continued. To maintain calm and refrain from taking any measures that would jeopardize the state’s current state of peace, Bakari encouraged his supporters.
The state governor, Agbu Kefas, appointed a committee headed by former ambassador Alhaji Idris Waziri to address the leadership crisis endangering the party’s future in the state.