Broken Taraba PDP, Nyame to the rescue

THE general elections postponed to next month by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is no doubt a blessing to the Taraba state chapter of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that was initially at the verge of being kicked out of the state by opposition parties.

  The postponement now gives the party the opportunity to put its shattered home in order by reaching out to aggrieved individuals, groups and communities.

   But for the shift, the PDP would have by now become a forgotten issue in the state as opposition parties especially the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) would have succeeded in nailing the party (PDP) to the wall.

  The exit of the PDP would have been hastened by the massive exodus of PDP faithful to opposition parties as a result of what they described as absence of internal democracy in the ruling party.

  Teeming supporters of former Acting Governor Garba Umar, are presently pitching tents with SDP and APC respectively following the refusal of the party to allow Umar pursue his governorship ambition.

  Even when he was denied the governorship ticket and was offered the senatorial slot for the Northern Senatorial zone, the PDP still went behind to force him to surrender the ticket to the present Acting Governor Sani Abubakar Danladi, who is presently at loggerhead with some of the party leaders as well as members of the press. 

  As if the ill-treatment meted to Umar was not enough, several members of the state House of Assembly were also compelled by the party to taste the bitter pills which finally forced them to defect to opposition parties.

  At the forefront of redeeming the shattered PDP in the state is the former governor, Rev. Jolly Nyame, who is believed by all and sundries, as the political godfather in the state.

  Though specifically designated by the party at the national level to ensure victory for the party’s presidential candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, whose popularity in the state is also fast dwindling, he is however using one stone to chase two birds.

  One stone to chase two birds in the sense that he is using the opportunity to persuade the people to accept and vote for the party’s governorship candidate, Mr. Darius Dickson Ishaku, whom the people are not well pleased with as he was believed to have been imposed on Tarabans by the party.

  Nyame who is the state coordinator of Friends of President Jonathan, is not only using his popularity in the state to convince eligible voters to vote for President Jonathan and Darius, he is also laying bare before the electorates major reasons why all the candidates seeking for elective position on the platform of the party should be voted for.

  Crisscrossing the length and breadth of the state, the former governor who recently hosted the people of Bantagi community, did not only succeed in convincing the people on the need to withdraw their supports for opposition parties, but made them see reason why it is necessary to re-elect Jonathan.

  Even when the people through their leaders expressed dismay at the way and manner they have been left behind in the schemes of things, Nyame, succeeded in making them have a change of heart by resolving to throw their weights behind both Jonathan and Ishaku.

  At a town hall meeting in Zing Local Government in the Northern senatorial zone, Nyame urged the people to take note of the infrastructural development Jonathan has brought into the state. He said the town hall meeting would be replicated in the two remaining senatorial zones in the state before the general elections.

  Various stakeholders who spoke at the Zing town hall meeting, said the respect they have for the Nyame, would make them have a change of heart by queuing behind President Jonathan, Ishaku and the entire PDP candidates in the forthcoming polls.

  However in spite of Nyame’s ongoing efforts to revive the PDP, there are still some top members who have vowed to work against the party in the state. 

  Particularly displeased with the attitudes of the acting governor, some of the party kingpins confided on our correspondent of their readiness to work against the governor’s senatorial ambition.

  Un-happy with what they said is his deliberate refusal to give respect and recognition to retired General T.Y Danjuma and President Jonathan by footing the bills of the adverts placed in some national dailies last year to felicitate with the duo on their birthdays, the action, according to the party chieftains, would no doubt count “ against Danladi who is presently seeking for the position of a senator.”

  The chieftains said, they would prefer the present APC senatorial candidate from the zone, Sani Kona, to win the election than allowing Danladi of the PDP to carry the day.

  One of the chieftains said, “ I must confess to you that we really appreciate the efforts being put in place by the former governor to ensure victory for our party. But the truth is that it would be difficult for majority of us from this part (Northern senatorial district) to vote for our senatorial candidate who happens to be the Acting Governor of the state.”

  Also not perturbed by the moved by Nyame’s restoration campaign, the oppositions who said relevant strategies to ensure victory for opposition parties have been mapped out are of the view, that some PDP members would work against the party come next month elections.

  When asked to comment on plans to  sabotage his efforts, Nyame, believed that no genuine member of the party would work against the success of the party in the coming general elections.

  On the part of opposition parties, he is certain that PDP would not only emerge victorious at the national level, but in the entire nooks and crannies of the state.

  Believing that PDP would emerge stronger after the town hall meetings slated to take place in all the three geo-political zones of the state, he beckoned on all the aggrieved members of the party to sheath their swords and come back “ home”.

  Urging the people not to mix religion with politics, which in his view could further drag both the state and the country backward, he assured that the PDP would not cease to spreading dividends to all its candidates are voted to power again.