By Dr. Kabiru Hussaini Mafindi
Since the return to democratic governance in Nigeria, one thing has remained a constant in Taraba State, PDP won all the governorship election from 1999 to 2023.
This was not by accident but by choice. The people wanted to prove that their loyalty was not to anyone but to their political party. A party whose ideology resonated with them and their moral principles.
Today, we stand at a precipice where an individual contested and won an election under the party, failed to deliver the dividends of democracy, and as usual, promises to do better if allowed to team up with those under whose leadership the country has descended into unbelievable misgovernance.
Many, who in 2022/2023, vilified Dist. Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha for defecting to the APC have suddenly lost their voices and buried their heads in shame. I know of certain Christian groups that made it clear that they would never support the APC even if Jesus contested an election under the platform.
Gov. Agbu Kefas is not Jesus but has managed to dim their resolve and they are now caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Anywhere belle face.
Taraba is a PDP state by blood, and as it stands, Taraba may become the center for PDP’s rebirth and rebranding if we play our cards well.
Now that the party is smudged in puddles of uncertainty, Taraba State could hang onto the party and become the biggest face of the opposition in a country where everybody wants to align with the ruling party to get away with whatever sins they may have committed. They will sell us cheap lies about wanting to attract more Federal Government presence, but we have seen Southern governors doing pretty well in the opposition. Gov. Otti of LP, for example.
If a leader doesn’t have it in the opposition, they won’t have it even if they joined God’s political party.
I feel that Gov. Kefas is running from something and like the proverbial blind fools, many people will join him in a race that has nothing to do with them or their destiny.
If Dr. Damian Dodo SAN accepts the nudge to contest for governorship under the PDP, he is likely to become the next governor of Taraba State because the majority of Tarabans will not jump off the cliff because their serving governor decides to do so. Dodo has the cut of a good leader but he’s not tested.
The ADC may also become another formidable force in Taraba State if it fields a strong contender like Hon. Danji SS, a candidate with some political and financial fortune. The Atiku Abubakar factor may come into play. He made Rev. Nyame governor in 1991 and 1999, he may stake his resources again to ensure he delivers his North East zone to the new coalition if he picks a better team to work with. Hon. Danji SS as an underdog, understands grassroots politics more than Kefas and Dodo. We’ve heard from certain quarters that he may likely contest, and if he does, he is a bigger threat to the PDP then Gov. Kefas of the APC.
Taraba’s political destiny lies in the hands of the masses, not the political actors, who are only chasing their selfish goals and individual trophies. Nothing will make Taraba State stand out after 2027 more than a vehement rejection of the political party which was founded on the ideals of grounding the nation and spilling the blood of her citizens.
Some may wonder why this article picked three candidates from only Taraba South, this is because the only strong politician in Taraba North is Sen. Sani Contact, he has already teamed up with Gov. Kefas because he wants to win back his Senate seat and fulfill his dream of retiring in the red chamber. Taraba Central is full of inept politicians whose only goal is to support anyone in government. They have lost their place and have no leader to bring them back to the table of influence. We in the North and Central must be honest with ourselves, we no longer have people that matter politically. Maybe in 2031 if we go back to the drawing board, but 2027 is already out of our reach.
After 2027, Taraba State should start grooming and sending young and vibrant politicians to the National Assembly, people who can actually stand shoulder to shoulder with the Class-A politicians in the country. It is from this pool of young politicians that we will build the success-filled future for our people, and also dictate the future of a national political party. We may end up making the PDP the political platform that all the marginalized minority tribes in Nigeria have been yearning for.
Only this way can Taraba ever dream of becoming a major player on the national political chessboard.
We will begin to have Ministers, Senator, Reps members and House of assembly members who won’t become an embarrassment to us as we have witnessed since the return to democracy in 1999.
May God give Tarabans enough sense to know that the best option is to become the big fish in a big pond than a small fish in a big pond.
Dr. Kabiru Hussaini Mafindi writes from Jalingo, the Taraba State Capital.