Between Pwajok, Lalong, Hirse and Musa: Who succeeds Jang? By HILARY Y. KASMI IT is exactly three weeks to the 2015 General Elections; and the campaigns are on and almost near conclusion. The battle royal between the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its topmost challenger, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been ferocious and fierce, but peaceful, and the stage is now set for the final showdown. No doubt the PDP is the ruling party in the state at the moment and it is the party to beat, but again, the APC is not relenting in its effort to offstage it from the corridors of power come 2015; as it is poised to give the ruling party a good fight in the coming elections. The PDP and the APC are not alone in the contest to rule Plateau State in the next four years; the Labour Party has fielded a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was also Nigeria’s Ambassador to Namibia, Amb. Bagudu Hirse. Amb. Hirse within the past four months or so was never heard of, as far as Plateau politics is concerned. His emergence as the flag bearer of the Labour Party at the nick of the PDP gubernatorial primaries attracted a heavy dose of suspicion, as many perceived his sudden appearance to fly the Labour Party flag as a calculated move by the ruling People’s Democratic Party to break the ranks and strength of the opposition, especially the APC in the Plateau Central Senatorial Zone, which by most political calculation is always the zone that would decide who wins, as far as the governorship race in the state is concerned over the years. The opposition parties had alleged that Amb. Hirse is being sponsored by Gov. Jonah Jang, an allegation Amb. Hirse has since denied, describing it as baseless and a calculated attempt to scuttle his desire and ambition to rule the state. Apart from this trio, there is another party that is also in the gubernatorial race in the state, the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The ADC is fielding Hon. Sabiu Ibrahim Musa, (a.k.a. His Excellency), who says he is emotional about Plateau State and wants to give it a “transparent leadership to salvage the people from the grasp of misrule”. He is the ‘comic personae’ in the gubernatorial elections in the state. “His Excellency”, as Sabiu prefers to be called said he loves Plateau State, saying, “Plateau is a holy land, in fact after Saudi Arabia and Jerusalem which are by God’s ordination holy, Plateau is the third holiest land in the world”. He promised to promote tourism and agriculture when elected as governor of the state come February, 2015. Sabiu decried the level of poverty in the state and promised to correct the anomaly if given the mandate. It is common knowledge that the ruling PDP is fielding Sen. GNS Pwajok as its flag bearer, while the APC has former Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Simon Lalong as its candidate. These duo are incidentally alumni of the famous Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. One is lawyer while the other is a political scientist. And all of them are also alumni of the defunct School of Preliminary Studies, Keffi. Sen. GNS Pwajok flaunts the slogan “Greater Together” a slogan political pundits say in recent times has “evolved into a movement for unity and positive change and the pivot for generational shift and progress of Plateau State”. ‘GNS’ as he is popularly called has an intimidating resume, for example he earned a Master of Science Degree in Political Economy and Development Studies in 1991 at the age of 24 from the University of Jos. He has been a teacher and had stints at Zang Secondary Commercial School, Bukuru, Plateau State Polytechnic, Barkin-Ladi and the University of Jos where taught Public Enterprise Management, Political Economy, Public Administration, the Politics of the World Economy, Theories of Rural Development amongst others at both undergraduate and Post graduate levels, where he distinguished himself as a promising scholar. “Conscious of the potentials of youth involvement in politics and the future of democracy in Nigeria, G.N.S. Pwajok has been actively engaged in the formation of virile youth groups and platforms with a clear focus on leadership and the social problems of poverty and challenges of development. As a young man, God has exalted him to an even greater honour, and this has endeared him to Governor Jang, his political mentor who subsequently appointed him to the office of Director General, Political, Research and Planning in 2007”. He actively participated and served as Secretary of the Transition Committee that produced the Four Year Strategic Development Plan of the Jonah Jang administration shortly after its inauguration in 2007. Under the tutelage of Governor Jonah David Jang, Sen. Pwajok has continued to “gain public recognition as a loyal, humble supporter and advocate of the Jonah Jang vision which is anchored on bringing about a new Plateau State in the hands of God and a people working together patiently towards responding to the development challenge of building a new era of progress” which requires turning away from old policies, values and practices that have failed us and confidently embracing the responsibility to try better ways of doing things thus laying a solid foundation for sustainable poverty reduction, wealth creation, value orientation and stable democratic governance”. Sen. Pwajok is the man to beat in the forthcoming election. He has the mien, comportment and a youthful energy to give the opponents a good fight. Apart from this he has the strong support of the incumbent governor of the state who has already anointed him to be his successor. The truth is, he may not find the contest easy, because his emergence as the flag bearer of the ruling party did not go well with some top notches of the party, who have faillen apart, and have decided to look another way, to get back at his sponsors. In fact, his stronghold is the Northern Senatorial Zone of the state. He may not be too accepted in the other two zones, especially the Southern zone who feel short-changed after the ‘gentleman agreement of rotation and zoning’ did not favour them. If truth be told he is more popular among the youthful population in the state, and he has the resources to execute this project. While Hon. Simon Lalong resonates the slogan “Change and all-inclusive governance” as his selling point, and this would not be unconnected from his desire to effect change in the manner and the way the state has been administered since the return of democracy in the country, which he has been part of. He holds a Masters Degree in Law (LLM) from the famous University of Jos, having earlier studied law in the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and later called to bar after the compulsory Nigeria Law School in Lagos. He was Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, apart from being member of various committees in the House. He is an epitome of peace and collective interest to all manner of people. Hon. Lalong believes in a united and prosperous Plateau state where all youths and elders are free to express their talents regardless of religious or ethnic background. He exudes justice and fairness to all citizens irrespective of ethnic or religious difference; even as he believes in the even distribution of scarce resources and developmental projects across the state. And with a large appetite to ensure a genuine integration of all Plateau State people as well as carrying them along for positive development. As a politician and leader, he has been able to stand out differently among his peers because of his humility, dedication, commitment and good sense of judgment when taking decisions. These unique qualities made him to win all elections he ever entered into. He was elected two times to represent his people of Shendam Constituency in the state House of Assembly in1999 and 2003. He won overwhelmingly an attempt to recall him by some group of politicians who felt threatened by his rising profile. His sound sense of judgment was misunderstood to be “too close to the Executive” when he was Speaker of the state Assembly. In fact as a true democrat, he refused to be intimidated into betraying the trust of the people of Plateau State during the State of Emergency where he vehemently opposed the unconstitutional declaration of state of emergency in Plateau State. As a member and Speaker who has served longer than those before and after him Hon. Lalong is today proud to be instrumental to the establishment of Plateau State University (now Solomon Lar University) Bokko, establishment of College of Agriculture Garkawa, establishment of College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies, Kurgwi and the creation of additional/new chiefdoms, districts and wards among other feats to his credit. He is a tough contender in the 2015 general elections, as he has suddenly gained a lot of acceptance and popularity, particularly in the last couple of weeks. He is a candidate the ruling People’s Democratic Party cannot afford to toy with. He is a grassroots mobilizer and his sense of humility has endeared him the mass of the people. Amb. Bagudu Hirse is another contender who is a seasoned administrator and diplomat. He has, indeed, cut his teeth in the public service and private sector. He has among other portfolios been a minister, ambassador and consummate politician and businessman. Amb. Hirse has made several attempts to govern the state at different occasions but to no avail. He contested the gubernatorial seat of the state during the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida era, where he flew the flag of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), against the Social Democratic Party (SDP), represented by Amb. Fidelis Naanmiap Tapgun, which the former won in 1992. He made another attempt in 1999 where he wanted to be governor of the state on the platform of the PDP, but lost at the primary elections to Chief Joshua Chibi Dariye. In his civil service days, Amb. Hirse was known for his passion to secure jobs for any Plateau indigene that comes calling while he was in Lagos, and this has endeared him to a lot of people who came into contact with him then. The situation on the Plateau as it is has less to do with party affiliation, but that of personalities. This is so, because the people of the state are yearning for a leader who will run an all inclusive government and could effect a change in their lives for the better. Whoever succeeds Gov. Jonah David Jang will have the privileged to occupy a brand new Government House, built with the best of craft, aesthetics and finesse. And to borrow the words of Don Galer “integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do”, therefore, the question is do these people have what it takes to change the fortune of Plateau for the better? The answer to this question would come handy on the 28th February, 2015 when the people of the state would decide on who to lead them in the next four years.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 10:02:47 +0000