Press Release
On Monday 23rd November, the National Working Committee of the PDP named a National Reconciliation Committee (PDP-NRC) led by Dr Bukola Saraki membered by Sen Pius Anyim, former governors Liyel Imoke, Ibrahim Dankwambo and Ibrahim Shema as well as Rt Hon Mulikat Akande. There was a gentleman’s agreement that in the spirit of true reconciliation, the committee will not be hosted in the residence of either Sen JD Jang or Sen JT Useini. However, Dr Saraki reportedly pleaded with Sen Useini to proceed to Sen Jang’s Du country home for the meeting.
Rather than report the facts, the Jayfm Jos skewed the news in favour of a rhetoric that promotes anything except reconciliation. Hours after the PDP-NRC departed Jos on Tuesday 1st October, Jayfm rush to air the fake news that, “The Chairman People’s Democratic Party Reconciliation Committee and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Tuesday visited the former governor of Plateau State Jonah Jang in his resident in Du…”
Whereas Sen Saraki himself tweeted the gratitude of the PDP-NRC on behalf of his “colleagues on the committee”, the Jayfm reported that “Saraki was accompanied on the visit by several PDP Chieftains…” What more, the radio station propagandized that the “purpose of the visit was to reconcile PDP group loyal to former Minister of the FCT Sen Jeremiah Useini with the mainstream PDP in the State.” To my mind, what makes the Jay FM story fake and most unhelpful to any reconciliation drive is that they cast the story in the mould of a personal visit by friends to engraft a ‘smallstream PDP’ into a “mainstream PDP.”
What the Jayfm calls “mainstream PDP in the State” has been effectively invalidated by courts of competent jurisdiction. On 24th November 2020, Justice B.S Ngyou granted an order of Mandatory Injunction quashing/setting aside and declaring null and void the state congress of 29th Aug 2020. Two days later, Justice S.P Gang ordered the conduct of state congress on the Plateau in accordance with the 1999 constitution, the party constitution, the Electoral Act and the year 2020 PDP Guidelines. The PDP has since declared that it will abide by the judgment. Between a sacked contraption and a team of gallant victors in the courts of law, who qualifies more as mainstream?
The quest to ensure victory in the 5th December Plateau South senatorial bye-elections is what prompted the PDP-NRC rush to Jos ahead of their inauguration. Rather than mobilizing all party members towards ensuring our success at polls, the Jayfm chose to reduce a national assignment to ego massage. Unfortunately this has been the trend. Following the 29th August charade at Langfield, Jayfm promoted the narrative of the sterile PDP State EXCO, I had to reach out to their management to see why every side should be heard.
Shortly after we secured judgment, Jayfm again chose to project exclusively the rhetoric of defendants who lost out in the courts of law. In broadcasting codes this is unethical and unprofessional. One of the key reasons why Justice Gang entered judgment in favour of the plaintiffs, as did Justice Sirajo before him in the famous Shown Vs Shiluwa, was that there was no fair hearing. Having not been heard by either the PDP-NRC or Jayfm, what stream will they associate the PDP SEC Aspirants who secured an earth-shaking judgment in court? We are the plaintiffs (not Sen Jang or Sen Useini) and by His grace we emerged victorious and deserve to be heard if true reconciliation must be achieved.
Much as Sen Useni, Sen Jang, Sen Mantu, Amb Tapgun, Hon Sango and other Plateau PDP leaders individually and collectively deserve our utmost respect, the temptation to appropriate or personify Plateau PDP accounts in part for the party’s recurrent electoral misfortunes and defections on the Plateau since 2015. The time to demystify hero worship is now, smallstreaming, mainstreaming, downstreaming or uptreaming via megaphones cannot be in the best interest of true reconciliation. We cannot continue to repeat the same things and expect different results.
As well meaning party patriots continue to work hard at ensuring true reconciliation built on the basis of justice, equity and fairness, we should counsel Jayfm to tinker with its editorial policy in favour of true professionalism and broadcasting ethics. I am of the considered view that the station should not make light the assignment of these highly respectable personalities by reducing their effort to only a social visit.
Bitrus B. Kaze
PDP State Chairmanship Aspirant
Nasarawa Reporters 