Taraba 2019: Who wears the crown?

Governorship aspirants in Taraba State have begun mobilisation ahead of next year’s polls. Senior Correspondent FANEN IHYONGO profiles the aspirants.

APC versus PDP

Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku is seeking a second term on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He is leaving nothing to chances. The PDP Chairman, Victor Bala, has declared that the party will give him the ticket, to consolidate its hold on the Northeast state. But, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party at the centre, is scheming to displace the PDP, which has been at the helms in the state since the return to civil rule in 1999.

In 2015, 11 political parties fielded candidates for the governorship election, but it turned out to be a two-horse race between Ishaku of the PDP and Senator Aisha Alhassan of the APC. The battle for the soul of Taraba in 2019 is also likely to be between the PDP and the APC.

While the PDP has declared that the governor is likely to be fielded for the election, the APC is yet to decide who will fly its banner at the poll. Thirteen aspirants have  indicated interest to run for the governor. But, instead of coming together to nominate a consensus candidate, a deep crack has emerged; with the party being split into two major camps. Twelve of the aspirants have teamed up against Alhassan, who appears to have an edge over other aspirants.

 

Zoning/power shift

Zoning is not a big factor in Taraba; the governor can come from any of the three senatorial districts. Zoning is not deeply entrenched, because it is done through a “gentleman’s agreement”.  The north and central zones have governed the state for 18 years. The southern zone is just in its fourth year under Ishaku. Jolly Nyame of the Northern Zone was governor for 10 years. He was in-charge between 1992 and 1993 in the abortive Third Republic. He bounced back in 1999 and was in charge until 2007, when he bowed out.

Danbaba Suntai of the Central Zone was at the helms for two terms. It was in 2015 that the southern zone got the slot for the first time.

 

The aspirants

Notable among those aspiring to govern the state are: Ishaku; Garba Umar; Alhassan; Sen. Joel Ikenya; Chief David Kente; Sani Danladi; Bobboi Kaigama; Prof. Mohd Yahaya; and Mr. Ahijo Yusuf. Ishaku is seeking the ticket of the PDP for his re-election, while the other aspirants are contending for the ticket of the APC.

 

Umar (Taraba North)

Umar, who is popularly known as UTC, is a former acting governor. He hails from Karim-Lamido Local Government Area, in Taraba North Senatorial District. He has lived most of his life as a businessman, trading outside the the state until in 2012, when he was appointed deputy governor by the late Governor Suntai. His appointment followed the impeachment of the former deputy, Abubakar Sani Danladi. From deputy, Umar became acting governor when Suntai got involved in an air crash with a plane he piloted. However, he was sacked in November 2014 by the Supreme Court, which ordered the restoration of Danladi. UTC aspired to govern the state during the last general elections, but did not get the PDP ticket. This prompted him to defect to the APC. He is a complete gentleman with good leadership qualities and he is known for being accessible to the people.

 

Alhassan (Taraba North)

Born in 1959, Alhassan hails from Jalingo, Taraba State capital. She is a lawyer and a former Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice. The woman who is popularly called ‘Mama Taraba’ also served as the Registrar of the Federal Capital Territory Judiciary. In 2011, she became a senator, representing Taraba North on the PDP platform.

Before the 2015 elections, she defected to the APC to realise her ambition of governing the state and got the party’s ticket for the election. But, she lost the re-run  held on April 25, 2015, to Ishaku.

Alhassan went to court and got victory at the tribunal, but the Court of Appeal later reversed the verdict. She proceeded to the Supreme Court, which upheld Ishaku’s victory.

Subsequently, she was appointed Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development by President Muhammadu Buhari. She is the leader of the Taraba State APC. She was nicknamed “Mama Taraba” by her political fans, because of her generosity to both Christians and Muslims. Her dream is to be the first female governor in Nigeria. Well connected, she believes she will get it right at the ballot box this time.

 

Danladi

Danladi is also from Karim-Lamido Local Government area, like Umar. He began as a councilor and leader of the Karim-Lamido Legislative Council. He was also caretaker chairman of the council. In 2007, he became the deputy governor, under Suntai. In 2011, Suntai won a second term and Danladi continued as his deputy.

But, in September 2012, Danladi was impeached by the House of Assembly, paving the way for Garba Umar to replace him. Danladi challenged his impeachment in court, saying that it did not follow the due process. In November 2014, the Supreme Court sacked Umar and restored Danladi as the deputy and acting governor. In 2015, he became the senator representing Taraba North on the ticket of the PDP.

In June 2017, however, the Supreme Court removed him and declared Shuaibu Isa Lau (also of the PDP) the winner of the 2015 election. Subsequently, he defected to the APC, to aspire for the 2019 governorship.

Kaigama (Taraba Central)

Kaigama is from Sardauna Local Government Area. A town planner, he is the National President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Nigeria; he is currently serving his second term, following his re-election at the TUC’s 10th Triennial National Delegates Conference in Abuja in June 2016. He also doubles as the President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN). Before he became TUC president, he had served two terms as State Chairman of the ASCSN, as well as two terms as TUC Chairman. He is seeking the ticket of the APC governorship ticket for the first time.

 

Yahaya (Taraba Central)

Yahaya hails from Gassol Local Government Area. A professor, Yahaya was the Vice Chancellor of the Taraba State University, Jalingo, before his retirement. He was appointed Vice Chancellor by late Suntai in December 2011. Upon his retirement, he joined the APC to run for the 2015 governorship election.

 

Ishaku (Taraba South)

A consummate architect, Ishaku is from Takum. He was born on July 30, 1954. He was Minister of State for Power and later, Niger Delta Affairs before resigning to contest the 2015 governorship election. Ishaku won the initial poll and was elected governor after winning the supplementary election. His strongest opponent,  Alhassan, had challenged his victory in the court. But, the protracted litigation, he was declared winner by the Supreme Court in early 2016. He is believed to have performed as governor. Despite the paucity of funds, he has renewed major streets and roads in Jalingo and other parts of the state. In agriculture, he built a greenhouse that produces vegetables in commercial quantities for sale. This has earned him the nickname, “Baba Cucumber”.

Ishaku is building state of the art hospitals in the three senatorial districts; with the one in Wukari (South) already completed. His reforms in the water sector earned him an award as “The Waterman”. Ishaku, who has the support of former Defence Minister, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, is hoping that these achievements should spur the people to give him a second term.

 

Ikenya (Taraba South)

Ikenya, 55, is one of the movers and shakers of Taraba politics. This has earned him the sobriquet: “The Bulldozer”. An indigene of Wukari Local Government Area, Ikenya began his political career as a member of the House of Assembly in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1992/1993. He joined the PDP in 1998 and was re-elected member of the  House of Assembly in 1999. He was a member of the House of Representatives between 2003 and 2007. In 2007, he became the senator representing Taraba South, a seat he occupied until 2011 when he contested the governorship election on the ticket of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). He lost that election to the late Suntai. Ikenya was appointed Minister of Labour by former President Goodluck Jonathan on March 18, 2015. He is one of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s ‘boys’ and a grassroots mobiliser. His hoping to use his ties with the APC National Leader to secure the party’s ticket.

 

Kente (Taraba South)

Kente, 53, is an accountant and economist. He served as the National Assembly’s Deputy Director of Finance. A philanthropist, Kente is popularly known as DSK, because of his DSK Foundation. He was a member of the PDP. But, when he failed to secure the party’s governorship ticket in 2015, he defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and became its flag bearer in that election. He came third.

Later, he defected to seek the APC  ticket for the 2019 election. Kente, who also hails from Wukari, is popular with the grassroots. He believes the 2019 election will be a payback for his goodwill to the people.

 

Yusuf (Taraba South)

Yusuf hails from Takum Local Government Area. He was elected member of the House of Assembly and later chairman of Takum Local Government on the platform of the PDP. He joined the APC in 2015. Last year, he indicated interest to contest the governorship.

 

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