The state of the presidential race in Taraba, Kebbi, Zamfara, FCT

• Published date: 12 January 2023
• Publication title: Nigeria - The Nation

The concluding part of the shape of next month's presidential race in the Northern states ends with a review of the scenarios in Taraba, Zamfara, Kebbi and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Our MANAGING EDITOR, NORTHERN OPERATIONS, YUSUF ALLI leads FANEN IHYONGO (KANO) and SANNI ONOGUN (FCT) to consider the scenarios in the listed states and FCT.

TARABA

2019 polls

Atiku: 374, 743

Buhari: 324, 906

Any of the three leading candidates, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP)s Peter Obi can win Taraba, depending on their level of mobilization in the heterogeneous state.

Certain factors such as political leaning of the state, popularity of the various presidential candidates, personality of the governorship candidates, religion and ethnicity will come into play in determining who wins Taraba State .

Traditionally, Taraba has been a stronghold of the PDP. The PDP has has a firm grip on the state. It has consecutively won both the governorship and presidential elections since the return of democratic rule in 1999. As a matter of fact, Taraba, known as the 'Nature's Gift to the Nation,' was the only PDP State in the North-East from 2015 to 2019 when Bauchi joined the fold. The prevailing situation this time is however different. As the 2023 presidential election is concerned, the state can fall to any of the political parties.

In the 2019 polls, Atiku of the PDP scored 374, 743 votes to emerge winner while President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC polled 324,906 votes to be second. Out of the total 1,777,105 registered voters in the state, 777,105 eligible voters in Taraba state were accredited, while 741, 564 votes were cast. Total number of valid votes was 712, 877. About 28, 627 votes were rejected.

It would have been an easy ride for Atiku Abubakar to consolidate his winning streak in Taraba, given the fact that the governor, Darius Ishaku is PDP. But the party in the state appears not to be happy that Atiku from the north instead of a southerner emerged as the party's presidential flag bearer.

Even though the PDP governorship candidate in the state Lt . Col. Agbu Kefas (rtd), is battling to defend his ticket against Jerome Nyameh at the Supreme Court, it wouldn't have affected the support of Atiku. But the scenario in Benue is now applying in Taraba a bit. The PDP candidates in Benue and Taraba are campaigning for themselves , not for Atiku. Although Governor Samuel...