Taraba: Moving away from the impossibilities: Let’s focus on the possibilities
There is an advantage to the ongoing developments since the Tribunal gave judgment for Senator Alhassan on the Taraba gubernatorial election. It is obviously an unexpected benefit but in addition to deepening our democracy, the discussions bring into sharp focus the people of Taraba – whose welfare and future should be paramount. The people of […]
There is an advantage to the ongoing developments since the Tribunal gave judgment for Senator Alhassan on the Taraba gubernatorial election. It is obviously an unexpected benefit but in addition to deepening our democracy, the discussions bring into sharp focus the people of Taraba – whose welfare and future should be paramount. The people of Taraba deserve a lot better than what the PDP has been able to offer over the last few years in terms of the leadership of the state. This is a state of over 2 million people with immense potential in agriculture, tourism and natural resource mining but because of the quality of leadership that has been foisted on the people, the majority have remained at poverty to managing levels, instead of reaping the benefits of the state’s potential.
While the PDP and its supporters, disguised in various ways, try to turn the attention of the public away from the weaknesses of its internal processes which have cost it the favourable judgment of the Tribunal, the candidacy of Alhassan continues to bring hope to many in the spirit of change.
There are a few ways to review the options for the people of Taraba and why regardless of propaganda attempting to ridicule the judgment of the Tribunal Court – why what is happening in Taraba is ground breaking. The first is that there are people who see value in what Alhassan comes to represent: a break from the mediocre men who have been in the helm of affairs, complicated further with the inability of those in power to gracefully put the affairs of the people front and center of their decisions. Alhassan also symbolizes the determination and steadfastness of women to take their place in politics and decision-making. After more than 50 years in existence, no woman has ever been elected to lead a region or state and now breaking this barrier is within reach and millions of Nigerians and their friends all over the world are looking forward to this expectantly. The second is the preparedness of Alhassan for the role of governor – she has her own pedigree as a lawyer, an administrator within the judiciary and a businesswoman. Not since Taraba became a state in 1991 has someone with her status and charisma blazed the Taraba skyline – someone who has achieved on the national level on their own merit and who have a recognizable name. It is understandable why some are intimidated by the thought of her as the governor– these are the type of men who prefer to be the only stars in the sky. They refuse to groom stars and will not support stars either. Instead they search out for the mentally anorexic and prop them up in positions where they cannot deliver and the people of Taraba are poorer for it.
Finally, Nigeria has a rich history of election victories being claimed by the gavel – if the Supreme Court decides against Ishaku then he will join the club of Oyinlola (Ogun), Oni (Ekiti) Agagu (Ondo) and Osunbor (Edo) and life will go on and the people of Taraba will definitely be better for it. It is time to dismantle the tales of political ‘impossibilities’ in Nigeria and there is no better place to start than Taraba.
Kenneth Isong