Umar raises alarm over plot to impose fresh aspirant as Taraba PDP candidate

The Garba Umar Gubernatorial Campaign Organization on Monday warned against awarding the state gubernatorial ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party to a fresh aspirant who did not participate in the party’s screening process.

The campaign organisation belongs to a former acting Governor of Taraba State, Garba Umar, who is an aspirant on the platform of the PDP.

The statement, signed by the Director General of the campaign organisation, Ahmed Yusuf, said the new aspirant has neither bought a nomination form nor was screened for the election and has never declared any interest to contest the gubernatorial election.

The campaign organization said one retired general is being mentioned as the possible candidate to be conscripted to stand for the governorship election.

According to Yusuf: “Some opportunistic politicians who have foisted their power on the people of the state have dubiously devised a new plan to pick a Muslim governorship candidate from the Southern Senatorial Zone on the pretext of satisfying the nebulous agitation for power shift.”

He describe the plot as not only a slap on the integrity of the state but a brazen attempt to subvert the democratic right and will of the people.

Yusuf said: “This is the latest in the plethora of frustrating plots to stop Alhaji Garba Umar from generously and democratically being elected as the PDP gubernatorial candidate in the state.

“While we are not against power shift, the constitutional power to take this decision rest squarely with the electorates of Taraba State and not on a select group of privilege people plotting to subvert the rights of the people, just to satisfy their personal interest. As far as we know, zoning political office is not constitutional and therefore cannot be foisted on the state by desperate politicians pursuing their personal and hateful agenda.”

Yusuf  said PDP delegates are poised to elect their candidates for election into various offices during the forth-coming general elections.

“This process which is guided by the Nigerian Constitution is uniform throughout the country and therefore the right of every Taraban cannot be taken away under any guise as this will neither be tolerated nor accepted,” he said.

The organization however said it will neither accept nor tolerate any attempt to impose candidates on the people without going through the democratic process, “as any attempt to do so will be resisted with every option available to us.

“The beauty of democracy is to accord the people their right to elect candidates of their choice and not to narrow their choices to people who have not declared interest in contesting election let alone articulating any programme of development for the state.”