From Maduabuchi Nmeribeh
Stakeholders and opinion leaders in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State, have declared their support for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Agbu Kefas, ahead of the 2023 general election.
They also disowned the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in that election, Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya, accusing him of sabotage.
According to the stakeholders, Ikenya moved against standing agreement by his decision to contest against his own brother.
According to them, “Ikenya is wrong for trying to sabotage his brother’s governorship ambition, when the two of them all hail from the same local government council (Wukari) and he knows he (Ikenya) is not going anywhere.”
Former Secretary of Wukari Traditional Council and Adviser to Governor Darius Ishaku, Hon. Emmanuel Masa Ibi, and Elder (Hon) Zando Hoku -a former president of Jukun Youth Body and presently an Adviser to the governor, on Friday told Taraba people not to be distracted but to remain focused in campaigning for Kefas.
“The two contenders (Kefas and Ikenya) are our brothers from Wukari. Kefas has a ticket in PDP which is the ruling party in the state, so we need to give him our maximum support,” Hoku said.
It was gathered the Labour Party governorship candidate, Philip Munlip -an evangelist, through his counsel has written a petition to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) challenging “a purported primary conducted by the Labour Party in Taraba State with the aim of substituting his candidature in the INEC with Senator Joel Ikenya.”
Former PDP Deputy Chairman Alh Iliya Agabi and former Secretary of Wukari Traditional Council and Chairman Stakeholders of Wukari Chief Joseph Magaji, on Thursday said the Labour Party has no structures in Wukari and Taraba, adding: “we are not going to waste our votes on LP.
“The 2023 governorship election in Taraba state is a two horse race between the PDP and APC. Ikenya’s candidacy in LP is nothing but a distraction; it is inconsequential,” he said.
Other Wukari stakeholders, including Hajia Fatima Umar Bariki, Comrade Yakubu Zhema, Comrade Yakubu Zhema, Hajia Fatima Umar Bariki, reminded the people that Agbu Kefas -a retired Lt. Colonel, is the most populous candidate, with more chances to win the governorship election.
“The two of them (Kefas and Ikenya) are our brothers, however, the seat is for only one person and we hereby declare support for Kefas,” Alh. Agabi said.
“Ikenya -the former minister of Labour and Productivity, should not be taken seriously. He is a serial decampee. From PDP, he went to ACN, returned to PDP and went to APGA. He Returned to APC and later left for PDP.
“In the 2023 general election, Ikenya had sought a governorship ticket on the platform of the PDP but lost. He migrated to NNPP and again failed to grab the ticket. Now, he has decamped to LP. We understand LP is in crisis because of Ikenya who came from the back door to grab the ticket from Munlip. We cannot be distracted,” Chief Magaji said.
