By Emmanuel Awari-Jalingo
Frontline Governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State, Chief David Sabo Kente, has reportedly rejected financial conpansation allegedly made by Governor Agbu Kefas to persuade him to step down from the 2027 gubernatorial race.
According to sources close to the aspirant, the mouth watering financial inducement was offered by associates linked to the Governor to convince Kente to drop his ambition to enable the governor emerge unopposed under the APC platform.
Kente who is from the same ethnic extraction and also shares the same Local Government Area with the first term governor allegedly turned down the offer, insisting he would remain in the contest and slug it out with the governor at the priorities.
Kente who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress confirmed in recent media interviews that he is still in the race for the APC governorship ticket ahead of 2027 general elections just as he maintained that pressure from supporters across the 168 electoral wards forced him to reconsider his earlier stance of not contesting against Gov. Kefas whom he always refers to as his younger brother.
Kente’s Media Consultant, Ben Adaji, argued that only the APC leadership has the constitutioal authority to convene a meeting to adopt a consensus candidate, and maintained that Kente remains in the race and is demanding a level playing field.
The claim regarding the financial offers has not been independently verified either from the Taraba State Government or the APC state chapter as of time going to the press.
While some people in the corridors of power earlier dismissed Kente’s ambition with a wave of the hand, the crowd he pooled in the Governor’s hometown of Wukari on Wednesday and in the State capital on Thursday has allegedly sent shivers down the spines of the Governor’s camp.
It is reliably gathered that the governor does not want to go into a direct primaries while he is desperate to ensure that he emerges unopposed.
Meanwhile, his main opponent in contest, Chief David Kente is insisting that the people should be allowed to decide who becomes the flagbearer of the party in the next general elections.
It is observed that contrary to the APC claim on Thursday that its state secretariat was undergoing renovations and therefore could not receive Kente who was to homage to party officials, the gates were thrown widely opened and normal activities going on as of early morning on Friday.
Both camps are yet to issue a response to the allegation.