The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the candidate of the PDP, Kefas Agbu as the governor-elect of Taraba state yesterday.
According to the result declared, Agbu polled 257,926 votes to defeat NNPP’s Muhammad Yahaya who polled 202,277 votes while APC’s Bwacha scored 142,502 votes.

The process that led to the emergence of Kefas Agbu as governor-elect is quite alien to the political structure of Nigeria because unlike many newly elected, Kefas didn’t enjoy the support of the incumbent governor, Darius Ishaku for reasons best known to him yet he emerged against all odds. It is a known fact in Nigeria’s politics that if one doesn’t have the support of an incumbent, emerging winner in any elective post would be a miracle, well, maybe Kefas’ victory is miraculous.

Despite not having the obvious support of the incumbent governor, there are some factors that led to the well-deserved victory of Kefas Agbu, a retired Nigerian army lieutenant colonel and former PDP chairman as the governor-elect of Taraba state.

One of these factors is Kefas Agbu’s goodwill to the people of Taraba state. Among the candidates that contested the election, Kefas Agbu is the only one who is close to the grassroot. Most northern politicians prefer staying in Abuja but for Kefas, Taraba has been his base since he retired from military service. He has been with the people, contributed immensely to the growth of Taraba state, felt the pain of the people and brought comfort to them in his capacity even without being a governor. He is well known and widely accepted by the Muslim, Christian and traditional sectors of the state. For one who has the support of the masses, even if the governor doesn’t support him, the people will definitely vote massively for him and this is exactly what happened. The people of Taraba state voted massively for Kefas Agbu and this is one of the reasons he won.

Another factor that gave him victory is his love for the youths. There has never been a time when Taraba youths participated immensely in the election process like the governorship election that was held on Saturday, 18th Of March, 2023. Kefas Agbu has been a friend of the youths; he has helped several of them conquer the issue of unemployment, he has empowered some of them and supported the entrepreneurs among them. For the youths, Kefas Agbu’s emergence would mean their interest being protected at all cost, it would mean a better representation for them and as expected, they went all out to vote for their friend; Kefas Agbu.

Also, Another factor that paved the way for Kefas Agbu is his accessibility and humility. Even as a military officer, Kefas Agbu was a friend of the people and this led to his success in maintaining peace in the Niger Delta region as a military personnel. An average citizen can access Kefas Agbu and is sure to get a good reception from him. He is a friend of the people and doesn’t discriminate unlike other politicians. These are some of the things that made him win the election.

In just 48 hours to the governorship election, the candidates of the Labour Party, SDP, and some other political parties have made moves to step down for the governorship candidate of the PDP in Taraba, Kefas Agbu.

This, according to information, has created tension in the camp of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and its candidate, Emmanuel Bwacha. They expressed shock at this information as it serves as a major boost for Kefas Agbu in the election.

Though they have not officially made their intentions known, the candidates of these parties are considering the move because Kefas Agbu has a brighter chance in the election and has the widest acceptance among every other candidate in the forthcoming election.

Kefas Agbu has been described by major stakeholders of the state as a son of the soil who deserves to be the next governor of the state for the sake of progress, consolidation and a more sophisticated economy. His manifesto also addresses the issues being faced by indigenes of the states.

On the other hand, the APC candidate, Emmanuel Bwacha has been accused of lobbying INEC officials to help him rig the election on Saturday since he has a slim chance at victory in the election.

Bwacha was once booed during one of his rallies in the southern part of Taraba for not helping the people when they needed him. He represented Taraba senatorial district at the national assembly but the people rejected him openly.

Due to this, He is planning to manipulate the INEC officials and disrupt the security system to create tension for his favour in the election.

The Nigeria police force and the INEC are hereby urged to pay close attention to Senator Emmanuel Bwacha during the election.

Written by Oluwatosin Alex

By Oluwatosin Alex

The Muslim communities in Taraba state have rejected the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Emmanuel Bwacha ahead of the governorship election set to hold on Saturday, 11th Of March, 2023.

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha visited communities in Jalingo, Yorro, Ardo-Kola, Karim Lamido, Lau and Zing to sell his candidacy and to also push the religion narrative but was vehemently resisted by a total rejection by the populace of the communities.

According to reports, Emmanuel Bwacha had gone to meet some of the Islamic scholars in these communities to seek their support and ‘bribed’ them with millions of naira to support his bid to become the next governor of the state.

It was however not revealed if the influential Islamic scholars accepted the largesse but an attempt to get the support of the populace failed totally.

This has added to the challenges Emmanuel Bwacha has faced since the beginning of his campaign. He currently doesn’t know if he is a contestant or not because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has refused to include his name on the ballot. He was in court a few days ago to seek an order asking the electoral commission to include his name but no positive development has come out of it.

Several allegations have trailed senator Emmanuel Bwacha following his ambition. He has been accused of conniving with INEC officials to rig the election, making plans to manipulate the BVAS device, attempting to contaminate the security system during the election, and many more which he is yet to debunk.