The Special Adviser on Disability to Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau, Chief Ayuba Gufwan, said that he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) because of alleged high level of discrimination against him.
According to Gufwan, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Beautiful Gate Handicapped People Center, Jos, former PDP Chairman in the state, Damishi Sango, was responsible for the high level discrimination meted on him.
While speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Jos, he said that PDP lacked the mechanism for inclusiveness, particularly for Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs).
Gufwan, defected to the APC shortly before the 2019 general elections.
He contested for the Mangu North-East state constituency seat in 2015 and the chairmanship seat of Mangu Local Government in 2018 on the platform of the PDP.
Gufwan said he joined partisan politics to make a difference.
He further told NAN that he was infuriated by the derogatory comments over his physical condition when his name was suggested as running mate to retired Gen. Jerry Useni, PDP governorship candidate in 2019.
I joined partisan politics and the PDP to solve problems, give the voiceless a voice and to fight injustice, inequality, discrimination and marginalisation, especially against PWDs
On this wheelchair, I contested for a House of Assembly seat in 2015 and local government chairman in 2018. On both outings, I got overwhelming support but was robbed of my mandates.
But I left the PDP and moved to the ruling APC because I was treated unfairly due to my disability and I felt the party had no place for the PWDs.
It is not because I was too ambitious or because of other false reasons peddled around by some members of the party,” he said.
The aide claimed that when some PDP officials suggested his name as deputy governorship candidate, Sango rejected the move because he (Gufwan) was not fit for the job due to his physical condition.
When he got wind of the statement by Sango, he reached out to him and Sango invited him for a priviate meeting.
When I went, Sango repeated the same statement in my presence. I asked him why he allowed me to run for other elections when he knew I wasn’t fit.
Not satisfied with the situation, I wrote Sango a personal letter and asked him to retract his statement, but he didn’t.
I resent the same letter and made it more official, but no one, including the party hierarchy, said anything.
All I wanted at that time was an apology and since no one said anything, I felt the PDP was harbouring discriminatory tendencies against the PWDs.
So, I didn’t leave the party because I was too ambitious nor because I was denied the deputy governorship slot. I left because I felt discriminated upon,” he explained.
All efforts to speak with Sango proved abortive. A top PDP official, who confirmed Gufwan’s claims, expressed surprise that he (Gufwan) left the PDP to join the same APC he accused of twice robbing him of his mandates.
I recall that story, but we were surprised that he left because of one person’s opinion about him.
One man’s opinion should not have angered him that much, especially since PDP had offered him its ticket to contest various elections.
I think he acted in a haste. Since he left PDP, ask him how many times he had tried to secure the APC ticket to contest election and was denied. Go and ask him,” the party official, who craved anonymity, told NAN.
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