The alleged decision by the Taraba State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to directly select candidates for the forthcoming local government elections has triggered widespread discontent across the state, particularly among incumbent council chairmen and party loyalists.

The Guardian has learned that the candidate selection process, allegedly influenced by the state governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, resulted in the replacement of 13 out of the 16 serving local government chairmen.

Several affected chairmen, who spoke under condition of anonymity, expressed disappointment over their exclusion from the process.

They claimed they were neither consulted nor informed before the party finalised the list of candidates. Many had hoped to seek re-election in the November polls.

“If given the opportunity, I would have loved to re-contest. I was shocked to hear that someone else had been picked to replace me without any prior discussion,” one of the chairmen said.

Party members and political observers have described the move as undemocratic, warning that it could trigger mass defections to rival parties such as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other fast-growing opposition groups in the state.

A prominent PDP chieftain, who also requested anonymity, said, “The governor’s decision to impose candidates on the people without due consultation is a major setback to our great party. It risks weakening our grassroots support.”

Some outgoing chairmen, while expressing their frustration, said they had to urge their supporters to refrain from staging protests to maintain peace across the state.

“We’re not happy with the decision of the party or the governor. But we are trying to stay calm. On the issue of defection, I can’t speak for now. We are watching events unfold,” another chairman noted.

However, in a swift response, the PDP leadership in the state denied the allegations of imposition.

The party’s spokesperson, Iremeya Andeta’rang, insisted that adequate consultations were held before the candidates were finalised.

“There was no imposition whatsoever. The selection process was transparent and involved all necessary stakeholders. Just because some individuals were not selected does not mean the process was flawed,” he said.

He also defended Governor Kefas, saying the governor did not handpick the candidates as alleged.

“It’s ironic that some of these same chairmen were beneficiaries of similar processes when they came into office, and now they are the ones crying foul because the outcome didn’t favour them this time,” he said.

As tensions simmer, political analysts warn that how the PDP leadership manages the internal dissent in the coming weeks could determine the party’s performance in the November local government elections and the 2027 general elections.