Gov Ishaku, Danji SS Battles For Takum, Wukari

 

·         Why 'Young JP' Was Arrested, Still in Prison

·         Even With Intimidations, Ishaku Can't Win Southern Zone  - APC

·         Gov Ishaku 'unpopular' among Kutebs, Tiv

 

 

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As the 2023 general elections draws approaches, candidates for the Taraba South Senatorial District have engaged in horse trading to beat one another and clinch to the seat come 2023, leaving Wukari and Takum local government areas a tough battle ground for incumbent Governor Darius Ishaku and Hon. Danjuma Shidi, (Danji SS).

 

Ishaku who is the candidate of the PDP and Hon. Danjuma Shidi, (Danji SS) the current member representing Wukari Ibi Federal Constituency in the National Assembly is the candidate of the APC.

 

Political watchers believe Takum and Wukari votes would be a major determinate factor for who emerges winner at the poll, this has however shifts political attention to the area.

 

"The Governor is warming up to win the Senatorial elections in the South, he stayed back in Takum for some days to consult and interact with some politicians in the area, it is believed that Danji SS has a strong hold of Takum which the home local government of the Governor, and his scares the PDP and the governor.

 

"its obvious that the governor has become very unpopular among the Kutebs and Tiv which Danji SS is taking advantage of to advance his political aspiration ahead of the election, if today an election is conducted, Danji SS would get   Ibi-60 %, Wukari 30%, Donga 50%, Takum 30% Ussa 15% while Govrnor Ishaku on the other hand would secure Ibi30%, Wukari 60%, Donga 40%, Takum 60% and Ussa 10%," politicians following the trend in the zone said.

 

Meanwhile members of the APC in Takum said despite ongoing intimidation of its followers in the area, Governor Ishaku has lost the political charisma to win Southern Zone, insisting that the arrest of Samaila Yakubu Young JP, who is the Director-General of the Danji SS campaign council, was a directive from the state governor to weaken them.

The arrest, which our correspondent noticed to have taken place in Takum, the country home of the state governor, has been igniting dust in the state, especially among members of the major opposition party APC who believe it's a calculated attempt to intimidate its members in the area.

According to Danji SS : "The governor is the one that ordered the arrest of my campaign director-general in the ongoing campaigns by the party in the senatorial zone.

 

"He was simply addressing our supporters in Takum town to remain calm because the PDP on the orders of the governor removed all our posters and billboards. But the state government is now interesting that as inciting violence and ordered for his arrest.

 

"He was beaten by the police and stripped naked, thrown into the back of their truck and driven 5 hours along the very bad road from Takum to Jalingo. He vehicle was damaged and vandalized by PDP thugs. His Aide was also seriously injured with his hand fractured.

 

"Today, the court has set very impossible bail conditions of N50 million and two 2nd Class traditional rulers and two serving Permanent Secretaries in the State. How can we get all these people to stand sureties for him when they are all answerable to the Governor? So the whole thing is a calculated attempt to make his bail impossible to secure," he said.

 

 

He also hinted that the APC is aware of the manhandling of the campaign coordinator by the state chief executive, even as he lamented that he said there should be a surety before a bail is effected.

 

 

He also vowed to seek the intervention of a higher court to challenge the "unlawful arrest and continued detention" of his campaign DG, with a view to forcing the trial judge to either review the bail conditions or have the charges quashed.

 

However the Caretaker Chairman of Takum Local Government Council of Taraba State, Boyi Manja and Taraba State Commissioner of Information and Re-orientation, Lois Emmanuel frowned at those linking the arrest of, to politics.

  They said that Yakubu was arrested by the Police in Takum for leading yet another round of violent disruption of peace on a day of the foundation laying ceremony of a private university in Takum.

Lois Emmanuel stressed that Young JP and his band of gangsters did not only harass innocent residents but also involved in burning of tyres and destruction of movable properties like vehicles, motorbikes and campaign billboards of rival political parties outside the APC on the said day.

She noted that even before the youth in Takum start to engage them and checkmate the negative trend by the hoodlums the entire scenario has already degenerated into chaos which drew the attention of the police who intervened in order to save the ugly situation.

 Exonerating the governor, the council boss in a statement the proactive measures taken by the security authority, as made known by him, is geared at nipping "the usual uncivil act of terror, thuggery and brigandage often exhibited by one Samaila Yakubu and gangs on bud".