The battle of who occupies Jos Rayfield Government House as Plateau’s Chief Executive has begun. Twenty one contenders have been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the governorship seat, www.independent.ng is reporting.
Top among the contenders is Governor Simon Lalong, the incumbent, a two-time Speaker of the state House of Assembly and Senator Jeremiah Useni, a retired Lt General of the Nigerian Army and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Among the contenders is Pastor Margret Inusa, the only woman in the race and a candidate of the African Development Party (ADP).
Another top contender in the race, who cannot be wished away is Dr Godfrey Miri of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and a former INEC Resident Electoral Commission (REC).
While the incumbent Governor Lalong became governor of the state in 2015 under the ‘Change’ mantra of All Progressive Congress (APC), General Useni emerged as Senator representing Plateau Southern senatorial district also in 2015 platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The two political giants are from the same Plateau Southern senatorial district, which had been zone the governorship seat. The zone is expected to hold the position till 2023 when it will hand over to the central zone.
However, Plateau, the home of the late Chief Solomon Daushep Lar, ‘The Emancipator of the minorities of the Peoples of Middle Belt Region’ used to be the home of PDP between 1999 to 2015 when the pendulum swung from PDP to APC.
During the PDP governorship primaries, Useni, aged 75, defeated 12 younger contenders to emerge the party’s candidate. The PDP primaries generated so much interest going by the list of the aspirants that picked the forms. But, Useni came tops.
However, what seems to be tearing the party a part now is the choice of the deputy governorship. The slot was zoned to Mangu local government council of Plateau central senatorial district, where former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, hails from.
Following the divisions in PDP over the governorship running mate, there are fears that it may suffer a great setback in the February 2019 election if the current battle for supremacy in the party is not addressed urgently.
The Plateau South Senatorial zone, which PDP zoned its governorship slot, comprises of six local government councils, Langtang North, Langtang South, Shendam, Mikang, Wase, and Quanpan Local government councils.
Senator Useni, the party’s governorship candidate, hails from Taroh ethnic stock in Langtang North local government council with the political heir apparent late Chief Lar political dynasty, Hon Beni Lar, House of Representatives member representing Langtang North/Langtang South federal constituenc .
Similarly, Barrister Peter Dandam Kefas, the flagbearer of the party for the Plateau South Senatorial zone, coincidentally is also from Langtang North local government council. The trio are all from Tarok ethnic stock in the state.
The senator, popularly called Baba Mai Tuwo, is the former Military Administrator of the defunct Bendel State and also former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
He won the Plateau PDP governorship primaries conducted in Langfield Resort little Rayfield, Jos, on Sunday September 30, 2018 in the state.
The results announced showed that a total of 13 aspirants participated in the gubernatorial primaries.
He defeated Johnbull Shekarau, the member representing Mikang/Quanpan, Shendam federal constituency and 11 others in a well organised and peaceful primary attended by 2,097 party delegates from the 17 local government areas of the state.
Before the PDP governorship primaries, Senator Ibrahim Mantu-led Committee set up by the Plateau PDP to dialogue with the party’s governorship aspirants had signed an undertaking with the 13 aspirants to support any candidate that might emerge as the party’s flag bearer.
Recall that the State Working Committee (SWC) of the party had earlier inaugurated a committee to dialogue with the 13 aspirants jostling for the governorship ticket.
The former Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, who headed a five-man committee, came up with a resolution reached by the 13 aspirants that anyone who emerged the party’s flag bearer, would have the full cooperation of the other 12.
While signing the agreement, the aspirants agreed that the campaign would be issue based, and not assassination of character, promising not to defect, but would unite and work with the winning candidate.
Mantu said: “It is a family affair and they had agreed to conduct themselves in a brotherly manner. They have five days to complete their assignment and we want them to base their campaigns on issues and not character assassination. I am confident that whoever emerges, we will all support him to change the change.”
It was gathered that 2,097 delegates participated in the PDP primary. A breakdown according to Local Government Areas were as follows: Shendam, 118; Qua’an Pan, 117; Mikang, 107; Langtang North, 147; Langtang South, 106; Kanam, 136; Kanke, 108; Pankshin, 124; Mangu, 159; Bokkos, 139; Wase, 90; Barkin Ladi, 119; Riyom, 107; Jos East, 104; Bassa, 157; Jos South, 120 and Jos North, 140.
The results showed that Senator Useni got 1,018; Rt. Hon. Johnbull Shekarau, 340; Sen. Victor Lar, 249; Rt. Hon. George Daika 199; Hon. Nicholas Kemi Nshe, 117; Dr. Ponyah Ibrahim, 62; Godfrey Bawa, 35; Yitman Maimako , 4; Nandom Ishaku Pyennap, 1; Arc. Sam Jatau, 5; Sam Abashe, 3; Engr. Jimmy Cheto, 7, and Brig. Gen. Musa Gambo, 0. Also, 33 invalid votes were recorded.
Since the announcement of the results, there have been no disagreements among the aspirants, unlike the situation in 2015 when after the governorship primary, most of the aspirants defected to other political parties to pursue their aspirations. The other disgruntled aspirants who remained in the PDP, voted against the party’s governorship candidate along with their supporters.
When contacted to speak on the outcome of the exercise, Hon. Amos Gombi, the State Deputy Chairman of the party, said: “As you can see, everyone is at home with the outcome of the election. The processes were transparent and some of the aspirants have congratulated Senator Useni. They have gone to his house to congratulate him. As we speak, none of them has approached the Appeal panel to lay any complaint.”
In order to avoid a possible defeat in the general elections, a group under the auspices of PDP Youth Mandate Actualisation Network expressed fears over the outcome of the party Senatorial primaries held in Plateau South Senatorial zone, where both the Senatorial candidate and the governorship candidate from the same tribe and the same council area.
The group feared that since Senator Useni, the PDP flag bearer, is a Taroh from Langtang North, the senatorial ticket of the zone should not have been given to Barrister Peter Dandam Kefas, the flagbear of the party for the Plateau South Senatorial zone, who is also from Taroh ethnic stock and from Langtang North LGA with Senator Useni.
The group called on the stakeholders to correct the imbalance if the party would record a landslide victory in the state come 2019.
Addressing newsmen over this development in Jos, Barrister Noel Begun Dogari, a one-time PDP Assistant Legal Adviser in the state, said: “Our inability to foresee these outcomes, especially at the Senatorial district level, is a major cause. We do not accept it and wish to sound it with a loud voice and in clear terms that the National Secretariat and all relevant organs of the party must step in and do all that is within its powers as enshrined in the written and unwritten constitution of our great party to address this matter.
“We call for the adjustment of the imbalance in the southern zone and I believe the party is set to retake our mandate come February, 2019. Anyone who has followed the political history of our state would agree that it is always not a surprise that either Langtang North or Langtang South would win due to the imbalance in the creation of federal wards and constituencies as an ethnic group with the control of close to 30 federal wards in the zone. It will take as much as the brutal suppression of candidates from among the remaining ethnic groups as was the experience at the APC primaries before such capacity can deprive them.”
Speaking further, he stated: “It is in a bid to cure this ugly development that our great party has enshrined in its constitution the doctrine of zoning of elective and appointive positions so as to avoid a situation of perpetual domination of any group within its membership .
“The mood of the people in four out of the six local government areas in the zone: Wase, Mikang, Quaapan and Shendam that comprise of the Southern zone of Plateau State, has suddenly become melancholic once the Senatorial primaries were concluded. This is not unconnected with the facts that the Tarohs have enjoyed more than a fair share of the Senatorial slot in the zone since the return to civil rule in 1999.
“Langtang North has produced four out of the five senators, who have represented and still represent the Southern senatorial district at the chambers.”
According to him, Senator Silas Jangfa, 1999- 2003; Senator John Shagaya, 2007 -2011; Senator Victor Lar, 2011 -2015, Senator Jeremiah Useni, 2015 till date, adding that they must state that the miscalculations and highhandedness that characterised the party just before her ouster in 2015 stared them in the face as they foresaw a populist revolt against the current status quo which might lead them to avoidable defeat
He said that as a concerned party faithful, they found the attempt to relive the past a clear case of recklessness on the side of their great party.
“We are average citizens of the state and feel the pain of misgovernance, poor performances, insecurity, lack of employment and deprivation.”
But, in a swift reaction, John Akans, PDP State Publicity Secretary, told our correspondent in Jos that there was nothing much the party could have done in this circumstances, stressing that the problem was not of the party’s making, rather, he blamed the people of Plateau South zone for the problem.
According to him, it was left for the stakeholders of the zone to address the wrong or injustice that had been meted out to other people in the zone, adding that they were doing everything humanely possible to see what could be done.
“It is a problem that has been caused by the people of the zone. Thank God, relevant stakeholders of the party from the southern zone are talking with the view to resolve the issue,” Akans said.
For Pam Dayhop, a citizen of the state who spoke to our correspondent, said PDP should as a matter of urgency, address this imbalance before it was too late, or else, they might not get the support of other people from the zone, who felt shortchanged and might not cooperate during elections.
As things stand, the battle for Plateau 2019 would be between Governor Lalong of the APC and Senator Useni, former FCT Minister, who is of the PDP. But, the Plateau voters have the final on who will carry the day in February 2019.
