Lagos — With the confirmed election of Alhaji Ibrahim Mallaha and Malam Musa Zubairu as the new chairman and secretary respectively of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara State, supporters of the party are now hoping that the process that brought the new executive to office will signal the end to the crisis bedevilling the party.

The confirmation of the members of the new executive followed their election at the Special State Congress which held in Gusau, the state capital, last week. For the supporters and other well wishers of the party, events at the Special Congress no doubt sent a clear signal to other parties that the big brother has finally put his house in order.

For a recall, the congress was called following some members' refusal to recognize the earlier arrangement which gave Mallaha and Zubairu the control of the party. After openly disagreeing by the consensus arrangement arrived at last June, the members first reported the matter to the national headquarters of the party seeking a reversal to the status quo ante and later filed a case at the Federal High Court, Abuja seeking to upturn the entire exercise. With judgment yet to be delivered, the national headquarters ordered the scheduling of a new congress where all members seeking positions were asked to go through electoral process.

In various interviews with THISDAY, party stalwarts spoke of their optimism that the present process will provide the much needed succour for future unity and stability. Former caretaker committee chairman of the party in the state, Alhaji Abdulmalik Mahmud described the day as special since many thought it will never come to fruition. He said the PDP in Zamfara has gone through much negatives and little positives since 1999, but members have now resolved to work in unity to ensure only good times outweigh the bad times. He commended the members of the party for agreeing to bury their differences for the sake of unity. His words: "All my political life, I have never seen three powerful factions of a political party come together in just three months to forge a united front in their bid to gain political power. From today, our party has become one and we should join hands with the new executives to help our governor and to help the party to realize their ambitions of moving Zamfara State forward."

He said all interest groups have accepted the leadership of Governor Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi; as such, they all have a common meeting point. "Every other thing was mere politics. What we have seen in this party is normal in all political gathering. People are bound to disagree among themselves, but their disagreements are always settled within the purview of constitutional requirement. We have disagreed in the past, but today we have all agreed to be one entity with the same hope and aspiration. I am fully convinced that PDP is today the number one party in this state and it will continue to be so in the foreseeable future. With today's event, our focus has now shifted to strengthening of party machinery at all levels in the state ahead of 2011 general elections. I have no doubt in my mind that we are up to the task, and the people entrusted with the task will give good account of themselves."

In his reaction to the emergence of the new executive, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Alhaji Tijjani Yahaya Kaura said events of the last few weeks have given all PDP supporters hope that the future will be bright. "Even before this election, wide consultations were held and there is a genuine desire by party members to bury their differences and move forward. As you may be aware, the whole aim of inviting the governor to join PDP in the first place is to ensure peace, unity and stability in the party and in the state. So from what we have seen here, I am confident we have reached the end of the crisis bedevilling this party in this state. My advice to the new executives is for them to look at the party as a single entity devoid of all divisive tendencies. All members must be treated as one. The era of old PDP or old ANPP is over. And I am happy to say that with the calibre of persons in control, we have no problem."

Also speaking, frontline PDP member and Special Adviser to Governor Shinkafi on Local Government Projects, Alhaji Musa Garba said he was impressed by the orderly manner in which the congress was held, and said it signifies the start of new things for the party. He urged the new executive to partner with the state government in order to bring rapid development to the state. "We are a young state in desperate need of development; as such, the party must become a guide to all appointees on what is required to move Zamfara forward. We are lucky the last two years have been one of positive transformation and I am confident it will continue unabated. I am appealing to all members of the party to united behind the present executive and render their unalloyed support in order to ensure unity at all times."

Also speaking, National Vice-Chairman of PDP and the zonal chairman (Northwest) of the party, Dr. Danladi Sankara commended the congress committee for a job well done and advised members of the party to join forces in making PDP the number one party in the Nothwest region. Sankara added that the party, being the largest party in Africa, would continue to ensure that peace and tranquility exist among its members. He said all states where there are disagreements among members will be adequately addressed before 2011. "You know PDP is the most organized party in Nigeria. To us, cases of few disagreements are addressed amicably through internal mechanism of party reconciliation. A good case in point is Zamfara where the disagreement was very visible. But today, you have seen our members unite and this unity will be carried on in all our future endeavours. I congratulate Zamfara for a job well done, and I hope the example we picked here will be applied in other places as well."

In an interview with journalists, chairman of the Special Congress Committee, Dr. Tayo Dairo said the entire process leading up to the election was free, fair and without any doubt to all factions. Dairo, who is also the chairman of the PDP in Ondo State, said what happened has clearly shown that PDP members in Zamfara state are ready to embrace peace and work with another for the progress of the party. Clearly overwhelmed by the organization, Dr. Dairo described it as the best congress he has ever witnessed, and promised to make use of the lessons learnt from Zamfara in his home state and at the national headquarters of the party.

For Mallaha, the need to unite all parties ahead of 2011 is now more imperative, as he acknowledged that PDP's biggest fear in Zamfara is how to battle internal division. His words: "Zamfara is PDP and PDP is Zamfara. We have shown our collective determination to weather all storms since the new consolidation of the party occasioned by our governor's decision to join the boat in December last year. Within a very short time, we have transformed the political landscape of Zamfara and turned it into a PDP stronghold. I want to make a pledge here. To all the members who came from outside this state for the congress, I give you three months from now, come back and see the wonders that will take place in our great party. In 2011, we will give PDP the votes it has never received in this region, and we will do it with joy and delight never seen before."

On his part, Governor Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi said his administration opted to join the PDP out of a genuine desire to bring rapid development to the impoverished state and her long suffering people. "Today's event is one of joy for the people of this state because for the first time, it brings together various political groups within the PDP under one umbrella. Our focus, as always, will be to continue to provide purposeful leadership to the people of this state through the instrument of the PDP. I congratulate all those to be elected and wish them Allah's guidance and protection in the discharge of their responsibilities. As you are aware, Zamfara is one of the new states in the country having been created just 13 years ago. Since our creation in 1996, we have been left behind in virtually all areas of human endeavour. Many half-hearted efforts at development in the past have not led to any meaningful result because of absence of adequate political will. However, in just two years of our coming, we have laid solid foundation, and built upon that foundation, to provide our people with dividends of democracy. In just two years, we have surpassed many of the older states.

"Within our first year in power, we joined the PDP because we believe it provides us with a needed platform to totally transform our state and also bring our people into mainstream politics. Today, and in line with what is obtained in many states of the federation, we have embraced the 7-Point Agenda and made it the cardinal pillar upon which we base all our development efforts. The people of Zamfara have shown their happiness at what we have done, and today I am proud to say that Zamfara is 98% PDP. In less than two years' time, we hope to make the state 100% PDP and I am confident we will achieve our aim without any hitch."

Speaking later before he cast his ballot, Shinkafi expressed confidence that the process will usher in a new executive that will cater for the needs of party members from ward to state level. He urged party members to unite behind the new executive committee with a view to moving the party and the state forward. He said all the elders and members of the party are in agreement with the process and are happy with its outcome. He called on them to fear Allah and treat everybody equally. He assured them of government's readiness towards bringing political cohesion and unity to the party and the state.

In his speech at the occasion, former factional chairman of the party in the state, Barrister Adamu Umar, said he and his supporters decided to abandon their previous struggle having realized the fact that peace must be allowed to reign. He said as a founding member of the PDP, he has never seen members so eager to embrace peace like now. "The enthusiasm shown by the people is visible in all places. We have realized the fact that this is the best opportunity for us to embrace peace and move forward. We came on board because we cannot afford to fail our supporters any longer. The best time to change direction is now, and we will not allow the opportunity to pass us by." He called on other members to close ranks and unite behind Mallaha and Zubairu, saying the challenge now is to confront other parties in bid to retain power come 2011.

At the end of the voting, Mallaha who was the former chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party [ANPP] in the state, polled a total of 965 votes out of the 980 votes cast while Zubairu, who was also the former secretary of the ANPP in the state, polled a total of 960 votes to become the new secretary of the PDP in the state. Others confirmed in their posts include Alhaji Sidi Daki Takwas who garnered 685 votes to emerge the deputy chairman, while Hajia Aisha Maradun, Alhaji Ahmadu Dogo Koli, and Alhaji Altine Yakamata polled 674 votes, 653 votes and 651 votes respectively to become the vice chairmen of the party. Others elected are Hajiya Kulu Anka as Woman Leader, Alhaji Abdulhamid Mamani is to serve as Youth Leader while Umaru Mahe is the new Publicity Secretary.

Meanwhile, the Federal High Court, Gusau is expected to rule today in a suit filed by the ANPP challenging the defection of Shinkafi from the party to the PDP. The judgment is being anxiously awaited in both Zamfara PDP chapter and the national headquarters of the party in Abuja. The judgment is also bound to impact on similar pending cases in other states where governors had defected to other parties other than the ones on which platform they were elected.