Senator Bwacha’s political somersault

It is no longer news nor was it surprising that Senate deputy minority leader Senator Emmanuel Bwacha representing southern Taraba senatorial district did what many had all along expected him to do by decamping from the People's Democratic Party, PDP to the All Progressive Congress Party, APC.

For all who have been following his political trajectory, it was only a matter of time that the Senator would change his political address from PDP's Wadata house to APC's Blantyre street. 

Shortly after meeting President Muhammadu Buhari at Aso Presidential Villa to formerly announce his move to the ruling party, Senator declared that he dumped the PDP for the APC as a result of alleged persecution by Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba state.

Beyond Senator Bwacha's stated reasons for jumping ship however it is believed that the Senator made the move principally to actualise his ambition to contest the governorship of the state in the 2023 elections which has received the thumbs down from Governor Ishaku.

As a result of Governor Ishaku's fierce opposition, Senator Bwacha found himself out on a limb, virtually as an outcast in the state PDP affairs.

But can Senator Bwacha realise his dream and what are his chances in what looks like an uncertain political endeavour?

The views are as varied as they are contentious.

There are those who claim that the Senator being the grassroots political person he is with wide following will clinch the APC governorship ticket and go on to defeat whoever the PDP fields in the 2023 elections.

Others believe Senator Bwacha is coming to the APC as a spoiler as part of a grand scheme to scuttle the bright chances of the APC now that the PDP as a result of the very abysmal performance of Governor Ishaku is in disarray and has lost the favours of the Taraba people. People who think this way believe that Senator Bwacha is acting the script written and directed by a well- known grand political figure in Taraba who is averse to power shift to other senatorial zones in the state.      

Yet others are of the opinion that Senator Bwacha is on the last leg of his political journey as he cannot possibly clinch the governorship ticket of the APC having just come in to the party. This argument alludes to the fact that the Senator will come up against three powerful factors; APC party bigwigs who will most likely combine to put a wedge to the Senator's ambition to hijack the party structure in both southern Taraba and the state, the zoning and power rotation arrangement which rules out southern Taraba where Bwacha comes, from the 2023 governorship race and the likely offer of support by the state government to the APC to stop his political ambition.

It is further believed that against these powerful political factors Senator Bwacha with all his famed political following and sagacity cannot possibly triumph. The conclusion is that just as he was kicked out unceremoniously in PDP, Senator Bwacha will also be frustrated out of the APC soon. He will thus lose the Senate seat he presently occupies and also not get the governorship of Taraba which he craves.

But the outlook is that Senator Bwacha is always one who will not go down without a whimper. He will seek to destroy Governor Ishaku's senatorial bid and also cause a lot of katakata in both the Taraba PDP and APC if he senses that he will not have his way politically.

As the drama unfolds this is surely an exciting political prospect behold. Grab your popcorn and watch this high wire political abracadabra.