Multiple battle fronts from within and outside
the political family may be conspiring to thwart
the peace and developmental efforts of Governor
Darius Dickson Ishaku of Taraba State.Apart from
the growing discontent and grumblings within
the state chapter of the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), the governor is
contending with professional bodies as well as
pressure from opposition parties including All
Progressives Congress (APC).
In particular, the alleged dabbling in the affairs
of the traditional institutions, irregular payment
of local government councils staff salaries,
purported imposition of unpopular candidates
ahead of the forthcoming councils election, are
part of the issues antagonists are holding onto.
The dissatisfaction is fuelling an increasing army
of adversaries in the PDP, some of whom have
defected to APC with those staying back insisting
that if the situation continued, they would work
against the re-nomination of Ishaku in 2019.
Their grouse is that there is “lack of internal
democracy” in the party and that PDP in the state
has not learnt from its past mistakes that
resulted in its defeat at last year’s presidential
elections.

They are particularly bitter at the way and
manner the governor is piloting the affairs of the
state describing it as “a one man show.”
“But if the condition persists and he goes ahead
and use the state resources and security
apparatus to get the ticket, nothing will prevent
us from joining forces with another political
party in order to floor him and the PDP at the
poll,” one of the aggrieved PDP members
volunteered.
To compound the Governor’s headache, his
leadership style has been called to question by
the Mumuye Lawyers Association (MLA), a group
of lawyers from the northern part of the state.
MLA, which is led by Aiden A. Anthony, has
admonished the governor to concentrate on
developing the state rather than continue
meddling into the affairs of the traditional
institution.

The lawyers claimed that, “Despite the huge
resources accruing to Taraba State from the
Federation Account and the Internally Generated
Revenue (IGR), Ishaku has failed to utilize same
in improving the lives and conditions of the
citizens of the state.”
They urged him to “borrow a leaf from his
Adamawa State counterpart who is paying
salaries and at the same time carrying out
massive road constructions and other
infrastructural development visible in every
nooks and crannies of Adamawa state.”Besides,
they said: “It is disheartening and worrisome that
a sitting governor who had sworn on oath to
uphold and preserve the law of the land will act
with such impunity and treat our laws with
disdain.”

It would be recalled that the past leadership of
the state branch of the Nigeria Bar Association
(NBA) under the chairmanship of Idris Jallo,
expressed dismay at the ‘arbitrary’ reduction in
the salaries of Law Officers and Magistrates.
Similarly, the incumbent chairman of NBA, Mr.
Joel D. Ubandoma decried the “illegal deduction”
while speaking with The Guardian and wondered
why the Bill which have been forwarded to the
State House of Assembly on the newly agreed
wages for Law Officers and Magistrates, has not
been passed into law by the legislators.
“The only difficulty we are having now is that the
Bill is long over due,” he stated expressing the
hope that if the new agreed wages is urgently
passed into law, it would go a long way to
regulate the salaries of magistrates and law
officers in the state.
Another headache that Governor Ishaku is
contending with is the audacity shown so far
exhibited by Godwin Nyame, the brother of a
former governor of the state, Jolly Nyame.
Presently, he is the only one that has publicly
declared his intention to run for the governorship
slot in 2019.

Nyame who was previously a commissioner for
Agriculture and Natural Resources, recently left
the PDP for APC over what he described as “lack
of internal democracy in the PDP.” He said no
amount of intimidation by the governor, would
deter him from his ambition.
His quest to seek for the topmost position of the
state in the next poll, according to him, is hinged
on the snail speed development Taraba is
witnessing under the administration of the
incumbent governor.

He claimed that the governor was harassing and
witch-hunting his opponents and perceived
enemies, citing his denial of the Tafida Zing by
the monarch of Zing, Alhaji Suleiman Ibrahim
Sambo, recently.
According to him, “It was at the instance of the
Governor, who sees me as his personal enemy
because of my ambition to contest for the
governorship position in the next election.”
To the leadership of the APC, there is a lukewarm
approach towards the growth of the state by the
present administration and they are determined
to capitalise on it to wrest power from PDP in the
next election.

The APC state chairman, Alhaji Hassan Jika Ardo
who argued that PDP did not win the last
governorship election, believed that the sin of
PDP has caught up with it.
According to Alhaji Danjuma Isa Munga, a
chieftain of APC, the divisions within the PDP is a
great blessing to APC.Said he: “So you are not far
from the truth. The level of poverty in this state
is high because the governor lacks blueprint for
the state. He was not prepared for the post he is
occupying because he was imposed on the state.
So we are not surprise that he has been wobbling
and fumbling since he came to power.”


However, the Senior Special Assistant to the
governor on Media and Publicity, Sylvanus Y.
Giwa, denied the allegations insisting that the
governor has not and would not intimidate
anyone aspiring to be governor.
Furthermore, he maintained that Ishaku has not
at anytime interfered with the affairs of the
traditional institutions in the state, stressing
that the governor had better things to do with his
time.
“Governor Ishaku is focused on issues of
governance in the state and has been working
round the clock to ensure peace, growth and
development as well as improved living
conditions for the generality of the people,” he
stated.
Giwa claimed that numerous developmental
strides across the state in the past 18 months
which includes roads, water, stable power, etc.
attests to it, adding that the governor unsettled
by any person intending to contest in the next
election.
On the alleged imposition of candidates ahead of
the council’s election, he said that the governor
has no special candidate; even in his local
government he did not come out to endorse any
person. All that the governor is interested in is
for the people to elect any candidate of their
choice. So I can confidently tell you that he is a
man that has the interest of the people and the
state at heart.”

Also, the Public Relation Officer (PRO) of PDP in
the state, Alhaji Inuwa Bakari, denied any form
of imposition by the governor stressing: “As far as
I am concerned, the governor has not at any
giving time imposed any candidate on us.”
Bakari who is equally a member of the screening
committee for aspirants to the offices of council
chairmen and ward counselors, said “since we
commenced this screening the governor did not
at any time tell us that he has a particular
interest on any of the candidates.“So I think
those alleging that he is imposing candidates on
the people are lying and should as a matter of
urgency desist and join hands with the governor
and the party to move the state forward.”
He also denounced claims of disunity in the party
saying: “PDP is one in Taraba state, there is no
factions or divisions. And I don’t see any party
triumphing over us in the next elections.”