By Laleye Dipo
There was wild jubilation at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secretariat in Minna, Niger State when Mr Tanko Beji was announced as the winner of the party’s chairmanship election held on Saturday.
The Chairman of the state Congress Committee and Deputy Governor of Benue State, Mr Benson Abuonu, made the announcement late Saturday, throwing the party faithful into wild jubilation.
Abuonu had announced that Beji, who will be beginning a second term as chairman, polled 2,095 votes out of the total 2,305 delegates accredited for the contest, while Alhaji Mukhtar Ahmed recorded eight votes.
Immediately the result was announced, the party supporters went into jubilation, shouting the PDP slogan, hugging each other and praising members of the organising committee for a job well done.
The drumming and singing took the jubilating supporters through the streets of Minna in the thick of the night though the police were on hand to ensure their action did not degenerate.
Abuonu expressed gratitude to God for successfully conducting a hitch free congress after two previous exercises had been failed, leading to the emergence of two factions in the party.
In his acceptance speech, Beji expressed gratitude to all the party leaders, supporters and stakeholders for the trust reposed in him, leading to his emergence as chairman for a second term.
He promised to carry everyone along, saying that the umbrella is big enough to provide shade for every peace-loving member of the party.
According to Beji, “This is the time for us to be more united because of the big task ahead, the 2023 general election, promising to lead the party to reclaim the governorship of the state in the election.
“We should hit the ground running and work as a team to ensure we reclaim the state from the APC and stop the misrule the people have been going through.”
Prominent among those, who attended the congress, were Prof. Jerry Gana, a former Information Minister; a former Deputy Governor of Niger State, Dr. Shem Zagbayi Nuhu; PDP National Treasurer, Mr. M Maibasira; Senator Zaynab Kure, Alhaji Umar Mohammed Nasko
Despite the heavy rains on Saturday, the congress was conducted peacefully and under the watchful eyes of men of the Nigeria police.
