March 23, (THEWILL) – The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dissolved its State Executive Council in Katsina State.
Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary of the Party, announced the dissolution on Wednesday, days after the party lost the Katsina governorship election to the APC.
Although PDP won the presidential election in the State, however, two weeks before the March 18 governorship election, more than 10,000 supporters of Ibrahim Shema, a former Governor of the State and member of the PDP, defected to the APC.
Among the defectors was Bashir Tanimu-Dutsinma, a former Personal Assistant to Shema, former Local Government Chairman, and member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Northwest zonal caucus.
They were accused of betraying the party and working for APC’s victory in the gubernatorial election.
On March 19, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Dr Dikko Umar-Radda of the APC as the winner of the Katsina governorship election.
INEC’s Returning Officer for the State, Prof. Muazu Abubakar-Gusau, said Umar-Radda polled 859,892 votes to emerge governor-elect while PDP’s Yakubu Lado-Danmarke scored 486,620 votes.
After the declaration, Shema received Radda and his deputy, Faruq Lawal Jobe, during a thank-you visit to his residence in Katsina.
Ologunagba said, “After extensive deliberation on issues relating to the Katsina State Chapter of our great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Working Committee (NWC) on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) hereby approves the dissolution of the PDP Katsina State Executive Committee with immediate effect.
“The decision of the NWC is pursuant to Sections 29(2)(b) and 31(2)(e) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).
“The PDP charges all leaders, critical stakeholders and teeming members of our Party in Katsina State, to remain united and focused on the task ahead.”
