Dr. Ayuba Gufwan, the PDP candidate in the Mangu Local Government chairmanship contest, has dismissed insinuations that he had left the party over “derogatory remarks” on his physical challenge.
“I have not resigned from the PDP. I am still a very strong member of the party and will remain so,” Gufwan told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Mangu.
Recent reports had claimed that Gufwan, who contested the Mangu Local Government chairmanship seat in the Oct. 10 Plateau local government elections, dumped the PDP after its leaders allegedly rejected his nomination as running mate to PDP governorship candidate Jerry Useni.
The leaders were alleged to have said that Gufwan, a cripple, who moves on a wheelchair, was not a worthy choice as a running mate.
Irked by the “derogatory” remarks about his physical challenge, Gufwan was reported to have dumped the party “in anger”.
But Gufwan told NAN that he was indeed angry over the remark about his physical challenge, but had not dumped the PDP because of it.
“My initial anger was based on the discriminatory and divisive comment on my person by ranking members of our party.
“I indeed considered opting out of the party and totally out of politics. It was a personal protest against any form of discrimination against people living with disability.
“I was indeed angry; people mistook my anger and misinterpreted it as signalling a complete withdrawal from the PDP, but such insinuations were wrong and unfortunate.
“I wrote a statement to the PDP and all I wanted to achieve with it was to let the leadership of the party know that I was not happy with such comments made about me.
“So, it wasn’t about the position of a running mate to Gen Jerry Useni; my anger was because of the aspersions cast on me.
“Even if I was a serving deputy governor and such a comment was made against any person living with disability, I won’t take it lightly. Being selected as a running mate had nothing to do with it,’’ he explained.
He expressed happiness that his protest letter to the party elicited lots of interest, adding that he was currently “in an intensive and positive discussion with the national leadership of the PDP”.
“I am happy that the leadership of the party has seen reason with me and we are discussing and getting on so well.
“PDP is my party and I will ever remain a member in view of the massive support I usually get from my people each time I contest for any elective position,’’ he said.
NAN reports that Gufwan, who scored more votes in the first ballot, boycotted the rerun election conducted by the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC), to get a definite winner for the Mangu Local Government chairmanship seat.
The rerun election, ordered by PLASIEC Chairman, Fabian Ntung, was conducted on Thursday, Oct. 18, after the electoral body declared results of the Oct. 10 initial electoral contest inconclusive.
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