Tension is reported to be brewing across the 16 Local Government Areas ((LGAs) of Taraba State following disagreement over the selection of consensus candidates for the upcoming LGA elections.
In Donga LGA, stakeholders could not agree on the selection of a consensus candidate out of the seven names they had submitted.
Taraba News gathered that during a stakeholders meeting in the LGA on 1 November 2023, a former Member representing Donga Constituency, Hon.Captain Douglas Ndatse, slapped a participant because they could not agree on a common candidate. Consequently, two factions emerged, with one loyal to Rt Hon. Isifanus Gbana and the other to Hon. Capt. Douglas Ndatse because they differed in opinions.
In Yorro LGA, stakeholders could not also agree on a consensus candidate and, therefore, submitted 3 names from which Gov Kefas could pick one, an idea that did not augur well with viewers.
A similar situation obtained in Ardo-Kola LGA, where a consensus candidate could not emerge and stakeholders were obliged to submit two names.
At press time, stakeholders in Ibi LGA were still struggling to find a soft landing ground for a consensus candidate. Therefore, Amb. Idris Waziri single-handedly suggested a name that was finally submitted directly to the PDP Chairman, Southern Zone without consultation with the stakeholders.
In Sardauna LGA, the PDP stakeholders initially rejected the selection of Hon. Emmanuel Bongo by a few political appointees close to Gov. Agbu Kefas. Tension reportedly rose in the LGA as stakeholders and major tribes such as Mambilla and Kaka rejected the selection of Hon. Emmanuel Bongo on the basis of alleged incompetence and lack of credibility. They also viewed Hon. Bongo's selection as an endorsement of criminality because they alleged that he led the 2015 mob that set ablaze the houses of the current Secretary to the State Government SSG, GT Kataps, RT. Hon. Abel Peter Diah, HRH Amb. Emmanuel Q. Njiwah of blessed memory, and others.
In their words, "Criminality will become an order of the day by youths since they will be rewarded with Political Positions which are unacceptable for."
Still in Sardauna, the Kaka Nation was under serious tension for rejecting the selection of the candidates for the positions of Chairman and Vice Chairman.
According to a Kaka key stakeholder, they form the second largest population on the Mambilla Plateau
after the Mambilla tribe, and the position of the Vice Chairman, from time immemorial, has been the reserve of the Kaka tribe. Unfortunately, a few politicians were trying to hijack it for Fulani minority settlers in Nguroje Constituency. They threatened that if this happened, they would decamp to the APC to make the 3 Constituencies in Sardauna APC in it's entirety.
Stakeholders have urged Gov Agbu Kefas to take urgent precautionary measures to calm the tensions arising from the 16 LGAs for a free, fair, and credible poll which he promised.
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