2023: Six contenders for Plateau governorship race

• Published date: 24 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

Going by the tone of the campaign for the forthcoming governorship election in Plateau State, the March 11 poll is going to be a fierce contest that will involve not just the two major political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition party, the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) - as witnessed in recent past - but also a third force, the Labour Party (LP).

Six political parties are fielding candidates for the governorship contest. But, only the above three have a massive following to win the contest. In other words, the next governor of Plateau State will emerge from the APC, the PDP or the LP.

The other three political parties are the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples' Redemption Party (PRP) and the Young Peoples' Party (YPP). Like the three frontrunners, they are good platforms that have nominated credible candidates for the position but they do not seem to enjoy the backing of the people. As a result, they do not stand a chance of winning the governorship election scheduled to hold on March 11.

Comrade Gbenga Aluko, the Plateau State director of the Civil Liberty Organization (CLO) shares the above view He said: 'It is difficult to predict governorship elections in Plateau State because certain external and internal factors keep coming in and more are expected. But, by and large, it is a race for the APC, the LP and the PDP.'

The three-man contest will involve Caleb Mutfwang of the PDP, Dr Nentawe Yilwada of the APC and Dr Patrick Dakum of the LP. The APC is deploying its entire arsenal to ensure continuity in governance, while the PDP which lost power to the APC in 2015 is doing all it can to return to power.

Interestingly, the LP which has contested the Plateau State governorship several times in the past without success is breaking ground this time around. The party's chances of displacing the APC and the PDP in the race to occupy the Government House in Little Rayfield, Jos, are very bright.

An observer who does not want to be named summed up the situation this way: 'In terms of strength, Dr Nentawe of the APC is gliding on the euphoria of being the candidate of the ruling party at the national and the state levels. The power of incumbency speaks for him and gives him courage and higher hope of victory.

'Dr Nentawe's campaign activities are directly and indirectly funded by the ruling government at the state and federal level because of the interest of the ruling party to retain all the states it...