By Taye Obateru

Jos — The crisis within the PDP in Plateau State appears far from over as a staunch member and former Governor of the state, Amabassador Fidelis Tapgun, has described as false reports that the state chairman of the party, Prof. Dakum Shown, represented the state at last week’s National Working Committee meeting of the party in Abuja.

He told journalists yesterday that contrary to the claim, Shown actually smuggled himself into the meeting’s venue when journalists were called in and was not recognised as the state chairman of the party.

But in a swift reaction, Prof. Shown insisted that he was duly recognised as the state chairman of the party at the meeting, challenging Tapgun to prove the contrary.

Tapgun who was a member of the Caretaker Committee of the party for the state recently declared illegal by a Jos High Court said Chairman of the committee, Chief Abu King Shuluwa, and not Shown was recognised at the meeting.

“I have a complete attendance list for the meeting and I can confirm to you that Shown was not the one recognised at the meeting. In fact, he only smuggled himself in when newsmen were asked to come in. So don’t be fooled by all the propaganda,” he said.

Shown denies claims

But when contacted, Shown dismissed Tapgun’s claims saying: “He’s not a member of the NWC so he should stop dishing out lies. The records are there. But I am not surprised; he is a well-known member of the opposition so he can say what he likes.”

The National Working Committee of the PDP had dissolved the Shown-led executive and set up a caretaker committee led by Shuluwa, but Shown challenged the dissolution at a Jos High Court which declared it as null and void.