Cover Story

Calls for Cabinet Reshuffle Intensify in Taraba

  ·          Residents Want Underperforming Commissioners Sacked   ·          Man...

Bye Election: Mumuye Back SDP, APGA Candidates As Jalingo, Muslims Queue Behind APC, NNPP Candidates

•PDP Candidate Chances Slimer At Poll 


The forthcoming bye election has divided residents of Jalingo, Yorro, Zing Federal Constituency with majority of the Mumuye tribes in Zing and Yorro Local Governments working hard for their kinsman Social Democratic Party, SDP Innocent Jabayang , in Jalingo the Muslim community are backing
Candidates of the All Progressive Congress APC Hon. Aminu Male and Aminu Liman of New Nigerian People's Party NNPP.


As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) set to conduct the Jalingo/Yoro/Zing House Representatives Bye Election in Taraba, four political parties are intensifying efforts to ensure their candidates clinch the seat come Saturday 3rd February 2024.


The election has both tribal and religious coronation embedded in on how the three local governments areas would cast their votes to the various candidates across the political parties. 


While the SDP candidate Innocent Jabayang a Mumuye man from Zing local area is set to enjoy the support of his kinsmen who are dominant of both Zing and Yoro local government areas the candidates of APC and NNPP are expected divide the votes in Jalingo with the supports of top Islamic clerics supporting them.
Taraba Truth and Fact gathered i that former governor of Taraba state Rev. Jolly Nyame who is from the Mumuye tribe, the 2023 governorship candidate of the SDP in the state Hon. Danlandi Baido Tijos and other top politicians are spending sleepless night to ensure the victory of SDP and Innocent Jabayang come Saturday February 3rd.

Meanwhile the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA Almajiri Leonard Wilson is also said to have supports of some of sections of the Mumuye tribe due to his popular influence at the grassroot in Zing and Yorro Local Governments. 

Almajiri is believe to be closer to the people and can spoil the chances of the SDP from getting the bulk Mumuye/Christian votes during the election.

The candidate of People's Democratic Party PDP Engr.Tafida Abbas is still Intensifying efforts to sell his name to electorates ahead of the Saturday's election.

All the candidates of PDP, APC and NNPP are from Jalingo local government area where chunk of votes from the federal constituency use to come from, the three candidates from the Jalingo are Muslims while only Jayabang is a Christian candidate who seems to have two of his Mumuye tribal people from Yorro and Zing intact to decide for or against his ambition to clinch to the seat of the house of representative 


Though the PDP is a political party with the sitting governor Dr. Agbu Kefas, the party during its primary election to select its candidate faced series of hurdles with most of its popular aspirants being compelled to step down for Tafida Abbas, a development that left the PDP without much support from Jalingo and the Muslim community.

Except for new twist, the PDP will be going into the election without the full support of the likes of Hon. Aminu Jika, Former Commissioner for Youths and Sport Hon Imam Ibrahim Imam, Alhaji Bello Yero, among others.

Taraba Truth and Fact gathered that most PDP officials are also not being carried along in the Abass Tafida's campaign for the election which has further widen his chances of victory at the poll.


It is also on record that PDP had never in recent elections won the Turaki ward of Jalingo, a ward where Abbas is nominated from to fly the flag of the PDP at the coming bye election.


While development from the ongoing campaign is indicating that Hon. Aminu Male, the candidate of the APC who has won the seat for two times may enjoy the majority of the votes from Jalingo, his counterpart the candidate of the NNPP Aminu Liman may be his game changer going by the fact that the governorship candidate of NNPP in the recent 2023 governorship election Prof. Sani Yahaya who came second has huge supporters from Jalingo who are bent to ensure that Yahaya is compensated with the seat.


"On Thursday, the supreme court decided a case the governorship candidate of our party, NNPP Prof Yahaya, the case was in favour of the candidate of PDP, now is time to compensate Yahaya with the seat of house of representative, all of us are going to support Aminu Liman to win, it can not be winners take all. Hassan Jugude, a staunch member of NNPP said.

Taraba Truth and Fact gathered that plans are ongoing among top Islamic clerics in Jalingo for an alliance between the NNPP and the APC.

The alliance might see one of the candidates directing his supporters to vote and work for the agreed candidate.

Meanwhile residents who spoke to our correspondent pleaded with the INEC and security agencies to provide an enabling ground for free,fair and credible election process for the people to choose the best candidate 

No comments