COVID-19: Taraba PDP postpones state, LG congresses

Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo

 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State on Wednesday postponed indefinitely it’s planned local government and state congresses scheduled to hold on Thursday and Saturday.

The State PDP Chairman, Victor Bala, who announced this to the press, said the postponement was in compliance to directives from the National Headquarters of the party to discontinue all party activities because of the incursion of the deadly Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, in the country.

The National Secretariat of the PDP in Abuja, which is already shut down as a social distancing measure against Coronavirus, has asked the states to shutdown all PDP secretariats, it was learnt.

The Taraba PDP chairman, who spoke through the party’s Publicity Secretary, Inuwa Bakari, said the postponement of the state/local government congresses was also in compliance to the orders by Governor Darius Ishaku banning assembly and congregation of up to 20 persons.

With no testing equipment, Taraba relies on preventive measures to avoid contracting and spreading the pandemic. It has shutdown all public and private primary, secondary and tertiary institutions.

Bakari said: “After our (PDP) Ward congress across the state on 14 March, which went very successfully, according to our time table, the state and local government congresses were to be conducted on 21 March.

“The time was too short so we requested for time shift. The chairman (Victor Bala) took the request to Abuja and it was approved. Unfortunately, the National Secretariat was shutdown.

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“There is also an order by the National Working Committee (NWC) that we should not do any party activity.

“So, this is to inform all delegates that the local government and State Congresses in Taraba earlier approved by the PDP National Working Committee to hold on March 26 (today) and 28 (Saturday) has been postponed.

“The postponement is in compliance to directives from the National Headquarters of the Party to discontinue with all party activities and shutdown all Party Secretariats throughout the Country.

“The PDP is equally complying to the broadcast made by the governor of Taraba State (Darius Ishaku) on the Social distancing order.”