Daring Political Gladiators in Nasarawa

Igbawase Ukumba writes that the duo of former Minister of Information, Hon Labaran Maku and former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division of Nigeria Army Jos, Maj Gen Nuhu Angbazo (rtd), may be challenging the decision already taken by political gladiators of Nasarawa State to support Governor Abdulallahi Sule for another four year tenure from 2023

Perhaps, as the clock to who occupies the Lafia Government House by 2023 ticks, there are some public declarations for the Nasarawa State
gubernatorial race in recent times, particularly from the Eggon speaking nationality of the state, indicating
their desire to contest for the state’s prestigious seat. This scenario has hitherto culminated in the commencement of indirect campaigns by the desirous politicians by tagging their political movement as a “consultation visit.”

Nevertheless, it is against this backdrop that two illustrious sons of the Eggon ethnic nationality in Nasarawa State: the former Minister of Information, Hon Labaran Maku and former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division of Nigeria Army Jos, Maj Gen Nuhu Angbazu (rtd), recently threw their hat into the ring to wrestle power from the incumbent governor of the state, Engr Abdulallahi Sule.

However, Governor Sule is yet to make a public declaration to contest the governorship seat of the state which he is presently its occupant. But the handwriting on the wall conspicuously indicates that he has his eyes fixed on  retaining the seat for another four years as exemplified by his recent endorsement for a second term by his predecessors: Senators Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and Abdulallahi Adamu.

The former governors, while endorsing their successor for a second term in office, were optimistic that availing the incumbent governor a second term would not only ensure continuation of the laudable projects being executed by him, but would further promote the peaceful co-existence being witnessed in the state. Notwithstanding the incumbent’s global citizenship which has put the state on the global map since his assumption of office.

Equally, the speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Balarebe Abdullahhi, said there is no alternative to Governor Sule in 2023 in the state. Consequently, the Speaker described the incumbent governor as a leader with great passion and zeal for peace, unity and speedy growth of the state, hence the need for all to rally round him to succeed beyond 2023.

But, despite the endorsement of the incumbent governor by the three powerful political gladiators of the state made up of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdulallahi Adamu; the erstwhile governor of the state, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Ibrahim Balarebe Abdulallahi, the duo of Hon Maku and Gen Angbazu (rtd) might be daring the three political gladiators of the state hence they have thrown their hats into the ring to contest against Governor Sule during the 2023 poll.

In his bid to wrestle power from Governor Sule during the 2023 general election, Hon Labaran Maku recently returned to the PDP after eight years in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), where he was the National Secretary of the party until his return to the PDP. Speaking at his electoral ward of Wakama in Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Area of the state, the former minister said his decision to join the PDP was in response to the yearnings of residents of Nasarawa State ahead of the 2023 general election.

Maku, who defected from the PDP in 2015 after an unsuccessful attempt to clinch the party’s governorship ticket, contested the Nasarawa state governorship position in 2015 and 2019 on the platform of the APGA. He is of the Eggon ethnic nationality in the Northern senatorial zone, the same zone with the incumbent governor.

Confirming his defection, the Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, Ibrahim Hamza, said that the party was glad to receive Maku into its fold and appealed to other founding members of the party who had defected to other political parties, to return to the PDP, adding that the umbrella was big enough to accommodate all members of the party.

He said: “We are happy that Maku is back to the PDP. We also want to appeal to our members who left the party for one reason or the other, to return because we are now a very united party and we are ready to take over power in 2023. We are working towards having consensus candidates for the 2023 general election so that we won’t have issues in the party and it would make it easy for us to take over power from the All Progressives Congress government in Nasarawa State.”

To back words with action, Labaran Maku consequently did not hesitate as he immediately declared to contest for the governorship seat of the state on the platform of the PDP. He made the declaration to contest for the governorship seat of the state recently in Lafia when he led his supporters to inform the State Working Committee members of the PDP of his defection to the party.

Maku explained that he had been a committed member of the PDP and had served in various capacities at both the state and federal levels before he left following dissatisfaction with the outcome of the 2015 governorship primaries of the party in the state. The former minister continued that though he cannot justify his leaving the party, however appealed for forgiveness and said he has also forgiven anybody that offended him in the past.

Maku who noted that though he was contesting for the governorship seat of the state, however assured to work with others to deliver the party in 2023 no matter the outcome of the forthcoming primaries of the party. He claimed that the state had suffered a lot from bad governance, lack of performance and total neglect of the people under the government of APC in the last 12 years. He, therefore, announced that they were on a rescue mission on the platform of the PDP, hence appealing to the people of the state to vote out the non-performing party in 2023.

Responding to the former information minister, the Nasarawa State chairman of the PDP, Hon Francis Orogu, said he was the happiest person for having Maku back in the PDP fold, because his (Orogu) leadership has been working since 2019 to bring him (Maku) back to the party. Orogu described Maku’s return as home coming and said that would add value to PDP ahead of the forthcoming primaries.

This was even as the Nasarawa PDP chairman assured Maku that the leadership of the party would provide a level playing ground for all aspirants to realise their ambitions. Orogu concluded by commending Maku for always speaking truth to power and called on other stakeholders of the party to always speak for the suffering masses.

Be that as it may, Major Gen Nuhu Angbazo (rtd) had also recently thrown his hat into the state governorship race on the platform of the PDP. Angbazo, who is also of the Eggon ethnic nationality from the Northern senatorial zone of the state with Maku, made public his declaration for the governorship race in Lafia during a meeting with the State Working Committee members of the party.

According to Gen Angbazo, “if elected, my topmost priority is to secure the state, given the experience I have acquired for 35 years in the military. As someone who has worked in the military for 35 years, I have the capacity to tackle security challenges in the state.”

Angbazo also said he would tackle unemployment and establish a complete Agricultural value-chain from production of different agricultural products to processing, because majority of the people are farmers. The aspirant then appealed to other aspirants to go about their campaigns without bitterness and put the interest of the state and the party first.

Responding to the army General, the Nasarawa State PDP chairman, Hon Francis Orogu, welcomed the aspirant and assured him of a level playing ground to realise his aspiration.

But in a swift reaction, an Eggon ethnic nationality socio-cultural organisation, christined Nasarawa South Eggon Forum (NSEF), warned strongly that any Eggon person contesting against Governor Sule was on his own. NSEF consequently threw its weight behind the second term bid of the Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, insisting that any Eggon person seeking to contest against the incumbent governor was doing so on his or her own peril.

The Eggon Forum, which comprises persons from the Eggon ethnic group from across the five Local Government Areas of the Old Lafia Division, gave the warning recently when on a courtesy call on Sule in the Government House  Lafia. Leader of the group and former member of the House of Representatives for Lafia/Obi federal constituency, Hon Joseph Haruna Kigbu, assured the governor that the entire Eggon from the Nasarawa South will vote in block for him come 2023 general election.

By the utterance of Kigbu, it was an indication that the entire Eggon race in southern part of the state have resolved to re-elect Engineer Sule in order for the governor to sustain and even surpass the tempo of his development strides. The re-election resolution of the Eggon ethnic nationality was believed to be a way of commending the incumbent governor for the prevailing peace in the state which had enabled Eggon farmers to go back to their farms.

Hon Kigbu used the forum to congratulate Governor Sule on the emergence of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as the national chairman of the APC, as well as appointing several Eggon sons and daughters into key government positions. This was even as the former federal lawmaker equally appreciated Sule for agreeing to complete projects initiated by his predecessors, as well as starting fresh projects spread across the state, stressing that Engineer Sule remained a beacon of hope, an epitome of humility, fairness and justice as he continues to float an all inclusive government to the admiration of all Eggon sons and daughters in Nasarawa South senatorial district.

Using the opportunity to request for more government interventions, Kigbu appealed to the governor to appoint more Eggon sons and daughters into government, especially in recognition of their voting strength, even as also requesting for the creation of additional chiefdoms, districts and the elevation of the already existing chiefdoms.

The construction of the Kilema -Kaffin Wambai – Barkin Abdullahi – Bakin-Kogi – Burumburum road was particularly requested by the Nasarawa South Eggon Forum, in order to open up the areas, as well as ease transportation of people and farm produce.

Perhaps the peace being enjoyed across the state was a major achievement of the administration of the Nasarawa State governor as he told the Eggon forum during their visit, hence appreciating members of the forum for their support, cooperation and willingness to work together as a people, without which the prevailing peace couldn’t have been attained. Sule specifically thanked Hon Kigbu for all his efforts geared towards uniting the people and for redirecting them towards mainstream politics.

While appreciating the group for adopting him as their sole candidate for the 2023 governorship election, the governor however called on the forum to go about their political activities devoid of enmity and campaigns of calumny.

“God is answering our prayers. There is nothing more I like to see than people who are united, people who are happy together as leadership comes from God,” Governor Sule concluded.

QUOTE
Governor Sule is yet to make a public declaration to contest the governorship seat of the state which he is presently its occupant. But the handwriting on the wall conspicuously indicates that he has his eyes fixed on  retaining the seat for another four years as exemplified by his recent endorsement for a second term by his predecessors: Senators Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and Abdulallahi Adamu