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Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended its Chairman, Damishi Sango and Deputy Chairman, Amos Gombi Goyol, over alleged diversion of Presidential campaign funds during the 2019 general elections.
They were also accused of diverting N9.8 million meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.
A letter signed by 16 members of the party’s State Working Committee (SWC) and read by the Publicity Secretary, John Akans, disclosed that their suspension is with immediate effect.
Akans said the party’s Vice Chairman, Northern Zone, Chris Hassan, has taken over the party’s leadership as Acting Chairman pending the disciplinary committee set up to investigate and recover the funds.
“Sango and Goyol have been suspended because they could not account for the resources sent to the state for Presidential elections.
“The chairman concealed the amount sent by the Presidential Campaign Committee and created a fake template used as sharing formula unknown to the state party structure.
“About N5 million raised and saved by the party to help IDPs relieve their pains were also not accounted for up till this moment. No mention has been made of the funds and it is worthy to note that Goyol is the party’s Chairman Committee on IDPs.
“Also, about N4.8 million meant for PDP Plateau State retreat was equally not accounted for by the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman,” the letter reads.
Akans added that the party was plunged into confusion during the general elections due to Sango’s and Goyol’s highhandedness and disregard for party elders and stakeholders advice.
He said the state PDP Campaign Council had also been dissolved with immediate effect, urging the chairman and other campaign council members to return party property in their possession.
But in a swift reaction, Sango said he was not aware of the allegations and expressed surprise that he was betrayed by people he considered close to him in the party.
“I am not aware that I have been suspended. I have not seen any letter to that effect. I am surprised that I people I considered close to me in the party betrayed me. There was a State Campaign Council to which the gubernatorial candidate, Jeremiah Useni belonged. All monies were disbursed by the campaign council.”
Also reacting to the purported suspension, a gubernatorial aspirant, who lost at the primaries and one time Special Adviser on Political Affairs to former Governor Jonah Jang, Alexander Molwus, described the suspension as a farce