Plateau: We are not worried by defection of Tallen, others’

Posted by admin Plateau, State News, Women Politics Friday, January 7th, 2011

The Peoples Democratic Party Chairman in Plateau State, Dr. Haruna Dabin, has declared that the defection of the Deputy Governor, Pauline Tallen and seven other governorship aspirants in the state, to other parties will not hurt the party’s electoral fortunes in this year’s poll.

“They are free to go; no wise person leaves a sound house to a ramshackle one. But if they go, let them stay there because coming back will be hard.

“The PDP is a big forest, so the fall of one tree cannot stop it from being one. In fact, in this case, it is not any big tree. It is shrubs that are falling,” he said in Jos on Thursday.

Dabin told the News Agency of Nigeria that the party was not losing sleep over their defection.

One of the defected governorship aspirants, Gyang Pam, had told NAN on Wednesday that the eight aspirants, who he claimed were working together, had defected to the Labour Party.

Gyang had also boasted that the aspirants were working toward a consensus candidate to unseat Governor Jonah Jang.

But Dabin, who denied allegations of injustice leveled against the PDP by the aspirants, said they did not come for the screening and could not claim to have been denied any fairness.

“They did not come at all, so the issue of being denied justice cannot arise; in any case, I do not see how anyone can deny justice to a sitting deputy governor,” he said.

He also rejected the claims that the party had made up its mind about who was going to fly its flag in the governorship race.

“Jang himself declared that there was vacancy in the government house and advised interested aspirants to contest with him.

“I have also said it on various occasions that we shall provide a level playing ground to all. So I wonder at what point we can be accused of making up our minds,” he said.

Dabin said the PDP was a “strong house” and would remain so even if some few people decided to pitch their tents somewhere else.

-Punchwp_posts