Before the guns started booming and blazing across Plateau State as a people’s fabled hospitality became their undoing at the turn of the century, the well-placed rocks and endlessly rolling hills used to evoke no little sense of wonder for residents and visitors alike. How,many asked,could nature have been so partial and so preferential as to clothe a single state with such breathtaking beauty?
While the bloody disturbances of the early 2000s helped to shatter the mythical serenity of the state,the spirit of its people has remained largely unbreakable.
If the gods of nature were so generous to Plateau State, the gods of leadership have not been as liberal.This has been especially pronounced in the last eight years during which the All Progressives Congress(APC) has occupied the seat of power in the state under the administration of Simon Bako Lalong.
It was in 2015 that the APC took power in the state as part of the gale that swept through the country,ripping the structures of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) apart.Governor Lalong rode the opportunity to the Plateau State Government House.
His time in office has been two sides of a coin, each side featuring his two tenures of four-years each and his different faces like those of Janus.In his first term in office, he largely succeeded in cleaning up the mess left behind by the previous administration which was no mean feat. His ability to pay the salaries of civil servants in the state on time also endeared to many.
However, by the time he won re-election bid in 2019,he had well become another man. The energy and the efficiency of his first term in office had dried up, replaced by an enervating kind of listlessness and even apathy.
For most of his people,the last straw that broke the camel’s back was when he accepted to chair the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council. The Council which was to work towards the realisation of the presidential aspiration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu was repugnant to many Plateau indigenes especially because of the APC’s ludicrous Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Payback came in the overwhelming victory the Labour Party and Mr. Peter Obi scooped in the state during the elections of February 25.But with the conclusion of the presidential elections, attention has quickly moved to the governorship election in the state which is set for Saturday, March 11,2023.
In Plateau State,the Labour Party has on its ticket Dr. Patrick Dakum as governorship candidate and Mr. Edward Pwajok,a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,as his running mate.The Peoples Democratic Party has Barrister Caleb Mutfwang who is running with Mrs. Josephine Chundung Piyo while the ruling All Progressives Congress has Dr. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda who is running with Hon. Pam Bot-mang.
On the face of it, it would appear that the residents of the state are spoilt for choice.However, closer look would betray a dilemma. In the case of the APC and Dr. Nentawe,a rickety vehicle appears to bear a crown jewel.The current governor may have performed below expectation and cast the party in bad light, but Dr. Nentawe seems to be widely popular with his ‘Generation Next’ slogan especially appealing to the young people failed by the current administration.
The Labour Party and the PDP each has a lawyer on their ticket and for whatever reason, the people seem terrified of having a lawyer occupy the number one or number two positions in the state given the woeful performance of Simon Bako Lalong, himself a lawyer.
As the state approaches a point of no return for the next four years, it will be interesting to see if Dr. Nentawe’s widespread acceptance will translate to victory. It also remains to be seen if anything good can come out of the APC given the mixed performance of the party in the last eight years and the way it slumped to defeats in the state during the presidential election?
Time will tell.
Kene Obiezu
keneobiezu@gmail.com
