Yakubu Busari
The internal wrangling within the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Nigeria might crash the party in Plateau state as stakeholders are warning up to abandon the party owning to conflicts of interest.
In what appeared as the same thing in 2015 that destroyed the People Democratic Party, PDP, both at the national is gradually moving to APC because of some selfish politicians who hijacked the entire system.
Governor Simon Bako Lalong like Former Governor Jonah David Jang who believed that he is still in control of the state party might be thinking in another direction because many, waters have passed through the bridge.
Jang in 2015 at the Nigeria Governorship election scored 16 votes and Ameachi of River state got 19 votes to be declared the winner but the drama changed when Dr. Babangida Aliyu of Niger state and other top northern governors who nominated Jang rejected him by forming a parallel leadership of endorsing River state Governor Rotimi Ameachi which ended the 16 years journey of PDP.
However, in Plateau state Lalong who enjoyed the goodwill of the political miscarriage of Jang is moving towards the same routes here in the state with poor knowledge of what political continuity is.
The political terrain on the Plateau was anchored on faith base and since the first, second Republic the politician and their supporters refused vehemently to go with the northern politics but that jinx was broken just to prove a point to Ex-Governor Jang that the state is above an individual.
Now, getting to five years of APC, government where are the founding fathers that brought the party structure? Engr Baba Haruna, Hon Jock Alamba, Hon Dasuki Nakande, Yahuza Pankwal, Hon Hitler Dadi, late John Nanzip Shagaya supporters.Even though they have been shown the way out of the APC family.
The coming together of APC in 2015 remain fresh in the memory of many political pundits who were fake up with injustice, the imposition of candidates, non-following of party guidelines but where the national Ex-Official Hon Jock Alamba the one time Chairman of Barkin Ladi in 1989 he has been used and dumb.
When APGA, CPC, ACN, Labour Party, LP, including other top political parties agreed to come together to unseat the then ruling party PDP the journey was characterized with a lot miscalculated moves and full of betrayal but those who are today ripping are worse than the yesterday rejected criminals of failure.
It was like tell by moonlight to any person who were following the political development then, especially the meeting held in Kufang where stalwarts of various political parties consented to mull the ideas of walking away to unite against the strong leadership of Jang who kept everyone on his dark side that for the choice of who to replace him had not being revealed to him by God.
There were series of secret meetings held in separate locations to mobilize resources that can assist a credible candidate that can challenge Jang but then Late John Nanzip Shagaya and his supporters insisted of bringing someone or himself but the like of National Ex-Official Hon Jock Alamba had already received calls from the former Governor Joshua Dariye who considered as a political Head boy.
Dariye in his political calculation told Jock Alamba that, “my people are coming to see you “, however, that communication sealed the fate of Lalong becoming the Governor of Plateau state in spite moves by Jang to impose Late GNS Pwajok on the Plateau people to truncate the zoning formula enjoyed.
Most of APC stalwarts who have contributed to the victory are now left alone to lick their wounds and pain in the middle belt states as some of them complain bitterly that they can’t take care of their home due to neglect and frustration they are witnessing.
The worst situation is the plight of displaced members of their families by Fulani militia who usually smuggle into their homes in the midnight and commit all this manner of heinous crimes against them.
A case in mentioned is the unending massacre and political genocide in Berom Land by the herders especially in Gashik district of Barkin Ladi of Plateau state where atrocities are committed without President visit.
The party structure in Plateau state has been hijacked completely by the few cabals who dictate the employment, mismanagement of resources meant for the development of the states to themselves and their families.