2023 Gubernatorial election: Who governs in Plateau as three-horse race looms

March 18, 2023 James Moses Just In 0

The governorship race in Plateau State is likely going to be a fierce one despite the fact that Labour Party and Peter Obi won the February 25 Presidential poll in Plateau State two weeks ago.

Now, the scenario has changed and Obi is not on the ballot and new dynamics have set in.

Thus, the major Contenders: Dr Patrick Dakum, of the Labour Party, LP, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda Goshe of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Barrister Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are likely to work harder if they intend to snatch the key to the Government House.

The most interesting development about these candidates is that each of them has the backing of a godfather who at one time or the order presided over the affairs of the State and they are still very anxious on having their hands on the plough even from the back end.

The godfathers who are openly and remotely throwing up their political godsons are: Former Governors Joshua Chibi Dariye, Jonah David Jang and out-going Governor, Barrister Simon Bako Lalong, who could not win the state for the APC on February 25 Presidential election, despite serving as the Director- General of the Tinubu Campaign Organisation.

With the LP, winning the election in 11 LGAs each out of 17, while the PDP and APC won three LGAs each, It may be assumed that LP can still repeat the same feat.

That possibility may be far-fetched and the 466,272 votes for Obi could be shared among the PDP, APC and LP in the governorship election.

However, the PDP hands appears slightly strengthened having won five of the eight House of Representatives seats while the APC won three, PDP also won two out of the three Senatorial seats and may probably win the third, if the issues surrounding the Plateau Central Senatorial election are resolved on its favour at the end of the day.

This means if those who secured the victory for the PDP during the National Assembly vote, may also deliver their respective constituencies to the PDP and that may aid the chance of Mutfwang. Moreover, the incumbent governor, Simon Bako Lalong who lost his Senatorial seat, may want to save his political face by deploying more effort and resources to secure the emergence of s successor in the person of Nentanwe Yilwatda, a feat that has not been achieved since 1999.

It may be a bit difficult for him to scale through due to the lingering feuds within the ruling party, APC in the state.

But neither the APC nor the PDP can win in Plateau if those who voted for Peter Obi and the LP in the last election were to return the same votes they voted at the the last presidential election for Dr. Patrick Dakum of the LP.

For these reasons, advocates of a major shift from the PDP and the APC want a clean break from the two older parties and would therefore want to bring in a new face to the Government House.

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