2015 is Ishor Chenji for Ugbah It is no longer news that Prof Steve Ugbah has thrown his hat in the ring to contest for the gubernatorial ticket of his party, APC. It is needless to remind people that he contested for this position in 2011 against the incumbent. The jury out there is still divided whether he won and was denied victory by the establishment but it is on record that no gubernatorial contest has been as keen as the one between Prof Steve Ugbah of ACN and Dr Gabriel Suswam of the PDP. It is also on record that Prof Ugbah followed all the legal protocols to get his mandate but the legal jargons were insurmountable. To his credit, he has maintained a level and straight head, showing uncommon loyalty to his party and followers. A man of less stern stuff would have traded this mandate. We must praise his steadfastness. While his supporter rue on what would have been, it is ones candid advice to Prof Steve Ugbah that the battle lines have shifted. The groundswell of opinion across the State is that it is no longer possible for a Sankera son to emerge as Governor in 2015. One is aware that Prof Ugbah is brave and wise to know the border lines of this gubernatorial configuration. Indeed, he came in 2011 to follow these protocols and for him to join the gubernatorial race for the sake of it does not do any justice to his reputation and the symbolism of his persona. Sankera would have stayed on the gubernatorial position for eight years by 2015 and there is no way the Tiv nation would extend it beyond eight years. It would be blatant injustice and if there was a remote possibility, the PDP as a grab all phenomena would have blazed the trail. As a matter of fact, Ugbahs decision would sooner or later be a horrendous cause for derision and snickers from the PDP and other commentators. Beyond that, his party the APC has not zoned that position to Zone ‘A’ or Sankera so it is rather amazing that Ugbah would want to contest against the grain and dictates of his party. To be fair, Tivland, Benue State and indeed, Nigeria is not a country like America where Jeb Bush would be governor of the State of Florida, George Bush Jnr, the Governor of Texas while George Bush would be the President of America concurrently and thereafter, George Bush Jnr would win the presidency of America after eight years of Bill Clinton. Our sense of justice cannot allow such power concentration in one place and this decision is older than our democratic experience, it has been crafted over the years by our forefathers who really wanted an even spread of influence. One thinks Prof Ugbah has been goaded, coaxed and led on by some people who want to prey and latch on his popularity to contest other elective positions with the aim that the charm and enigma of Ugbah would be easy pickings. This is what some candidates in Zone ‘A’ of the APC stock want to achieve by dragging Prof Ugbah into a contest that is not his because the lines have changed. Indeed, Ishor Chenji for Ugbahs gubernatorial aspirations. Above all, Prof Ugbah must be told that he has become a symbol of the people’s desire for change. By the love extended to him in 2011, he has become a kingmaker who must look well before taking a leap. This decision to contest for the position of governor does not reflect critical thinking on the part of Ugbah and even his party. The APC must respect what it means to the people who deserve a strong platform that can be used to rescue the people from bad government. The decision shows that the power base of the APC is not working harmoniously. In a federation unit like Nigeria, the position of governor is the most important and for the APC to allow such a flow to occupy public space shows that the party must rekindle its faith in its collective leadership to always keep the front foot forward in a manner where the people would know that they are cohesive. As it were, the APC cannot force the debate, they can only join by the popular thinking that a MINDA person would be the next governor. Prof Ugbah is not MINDA, his claim to Ichongo is a complete after thought and quite inappropriate to this argument. He came into the contest in 2011 along established guidelines and it is not his turn, neither does he have the capacity to force his linkage on us through subterfuge. There is a season for everything and everyone. For Prof. Ugbah, this season obviously seems like one for him to be a kingmaker. Let him to come back home soonest and swallow this bitter pill. It is ones hope and belief that he still yields to the Benue project and the present circumstances call for a different tactic. The onus is on him to prove his genre yet again.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 10:44:47 +0000
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