The Day Taraba’s PDP Found Its Turning Point.
By Dennis Akpen
It was a humid afternoon in Jalingo on March 14 a day that would later be remembered as a defining moment in the history of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State
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The atmosphere around the Catholic Hall at Mile Six Bypass was thick with anticipation. Delegates, party loyalists, and observers had gathered, each carrying not just their political affiliations but the weight of a party struggling to hold itself together. What was meant to be a routine congress quickly turned into a vivid reflection of a party at war with itself.
For months leading up to that day, the PDP in Taraba had been fractured into three powerful factions. Each group was driven by its own ambitions, loyalties, and vision for control.
On one side stood supporters of Comrade Obidah J. Bitrus, aligned with the Tanimu Turaki bloc calm but determined. Across from them were loyalists of Dr. Victor Falack, backed by the influential Nyesom Wike camp strategic and assertive. Then there was the camp of Alhaji Ibrahim Abba Sule, connected to Emmanuel Bwacha unyielding and fiercely protective of its influence.
The cracks within the party had long been visible. But on this day, those cracks would widen into open confrontation.
The congress, organized by the Wike-aligned faction, was intended to establish a parallel leadership structure lan act many already feared would deepen the crisis.
At first, the event proceeded with cautious optimism. Delegates took their seats. Party officials shuffled papers.
Murmurs filled the hall. Then, without warning, the tension snapped. A surge of voices erupted outside. Moments later, chaos broke loose. Supporters believed to be loyal to the Bwacha faction stormed the venue, protesting what they described as an illegitimate exercise. Shouting quickly turned into pushing. Pushing turned into disorder. Chairs scraped loudly against the tiled floor. Papers scattered. Security personnel struggled to restore calm.
Within minutes, the congress collapsed.
What was meant to solidify control instead exposed the depth of division within Taraba’s PDP. The hall, once filled with political ambition, now echoed with confusion and unresolved anger.
Amid the chaos, something unexpected began to take shape. From one corner of the disrupted gathering, a group of women started chanting a name. “Obidah! Obidah! Obidah!” Their voices rose above the noise firm, rhythmic, insistent. Soon, others joined in. It was no longer just a chant. It was a statement.
Comrade Obidah J. Bitrus, who had until then operated largely as a stabilizing figure in the background, suddenly became the center of attention. The women many of them grassroots mobilizers and long-time party supporters moved closer together, raising their voices with renewed determination. They were not calling for confrontation. They were calling for continuity.
To them, Obidah represented something the party had lost: balance. The Making of a Unifier. In the days that followed, conversations across Taraba State began to shift.
From small village meetings to discussions among party elders, one theme kept emerging Obidah. Those who had worked with him described a leader who listened more than he spoke. A man who avoided taking sides in factional disputes. Someone who believed that the strength of the PDP lay not in dominance, but in cohesion.
While others battled for control, he had quietly maintained administrative order as acting chairman. Meetings were held. Communication lines remained open. The party, despite its fractures, had not completely fallen apart.
This quiet consistency began to stand out.
“He doesn’t inflame tensions,” one party stakeholder remarked. “He reduces them.”
Yet, admiration alone could not resolve the crisis. The question of legitimacy still loomed large. Which faction truly held authority? Which congress was valid? Who would lead the party into the next electoral cycle?
These questions now rested far beyond Jalingo. All eyes turned to Abuja, where the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) held the power to determine the party’s direction in Taraba State.
For many stakeholders, there was tense. The decision of the NWC would not just settle administrative disputes it would either heal or deepen the fractures.
Hope in Uncertainty
Back in Taraba, uncertainty persisted, but so did something else
hope.
In markets, community gatherings, and party offices, discussions continued.
Not about who fought at the congress.
But about who could prevent the next one from collapsing. The name on many lips remained the same.
Comrade Obidah J. Bitrus.
To his supporters, he was no longer just an acting chairman. He had become a symbol of calm in chaos, of unity in division, of possibility in a party on the brink.
As days turned into weeks, the future of the PDP in Taraba hung in delicate balance.
Would the factions choose dialogue over dominance? Would the national leadership impose order or encourage reconciliation?
And most importantly would the party seize this moment to rebuild? History would later show that March 14 was not just the day a congress failed. It was the day Taraba’s PDP was forced to confront itself.
And in that confrontation, a new path quietly began to emerge one shaped not by the loudest voices, but by the steady rise of a man many believed could bring them back together.
The story of Taraba’s PDP was far from over.
But for the first time in a long while, it had a chance at a different ending.
