Opinion: Chances of Nasarawa’s 4 PDP aspirants vying for governor
By Jonathan Ipaa
Delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Nasarawa state chapter, now have four frontline governorship aspirants from among whom to pick the party’s flag bearer ahead of the state’s 2023 governorship primary election.
The four aspirants are David Ombugadu,. Labaran Maku, Maj Gen Nuhu Angbazo (rtd) and Sen Solomon Adokwe.
The delegates will definitely need to make a sound political decision on who will effectively wrest power from the incumbent, Governor Abdullahi Alhaji Sule of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC who is gunning for his second term.
The choice is not going to be an easy one as a lot of factors and stack political realities are before the PDP delegates in particular and the Nasarawa electorate at large.
The PDP delegates are under intense political pressure from the party’s critical stakeholders, especially, the suffering masses whose anger over perennial insecurity, unemployement, constant delay in the payment of workers’salaries and the skyrocketing prices of essential goods and services begging for attention.
As the Indepent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s deadline for the nomination of candidates gets closer, the choices are literally narrowed down to the above four contenders.
With the recent withdrawal from the race by a former deputy governor of the state and one-time Minister of State, FCT, Sen Solomon Ewuga, the PDP is beaming it’s searchlight on the remaining four aspirants.
While Ombugadu, Maku and Angbszo are from the Eggon ethnic nationality from Akwanga zone where incumbent Gov Sule hails from, Adokwe is the lone aspirant from Lafia zone.
Having been too long out of government, the nagging issues before the Nasarawa PDP border on funding, unity, consistency, as well as the party’s acceptability and marketability.
Ordinarily, it is expected that most of the delegates will route for Ombugadu, who was the 2019 governorship flag bearer of the party, because of his deep pocket which can help to finance his campaign.
He is also a very experienced and mature politician whose personality swayed voters to himself in the 2019 gubernatorial race
This is also besides his ability to fund the cost of litigations during and after the Governorship election.
Ombugadu also known as ‘Yaro Maiwanka’ is a an experienced two term member of the House of Representatives representing Nasarawa Eggon/Akwanga/Wamba) Constituency.
He was able to defeat his political godfather (Sen Solomon Ewuga) in the 2019 PDP guber primary, although he failed to scale through the secondary election.
However feelers from the PDP in his Nasarawa Eggon LGA indicate that his financial connection from the Niger Delta region where he schooled and worked before returning home to run for election may have been puntured.
The PDP is believed to have urged Gov Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to withhold sponsoring any aspirant from Nasarawa state until a consensus candidate was arrived at.
Both the zonal and national leadership of the party are in agreement on this issue.
Ombugadu was first sponsored by the former FCT Minister of State, Sen Solomon Ewuga in 2011 on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC before returning to the PDP in 2015 alongside his political godfather.
However, his popularity that earned him the PDP’s governorship ticket in 2019 seems to have diminished.
Also, political differences and conflicting interests between Ombugadu and his Eggon kinsman, Maku of APGA were reasons why the PDP lost to incumbent Governor Sule in 2019.
Maku is more popular in Nasarawa state right from being the only PDP leader who has benefitted from the very beginning to when he dumped the party to APGA in 2015.
After losing the PDP ticket to Dr Yusuf Agabi, Maku hurriedly rushed to pick up APGA ticket to challenge Gov Tanko Almakura and the PDP in 2015. He lost twice without any single seat in the state Assembly and local government council.
He did same in 2019 even against all pleas for him to return to the PDP.
Maku was appointed a Commissioner for Information by the PDP between 1999-2003, Deputy Governor from 2003-2007 and minister under ex President Goodluck Jonathan from 2008-2015 respectively”.
While some PDP leaders believe his departure from its fold was a show of ungratefulness on his part, others believe his return could add value in unseating the ruling APC from Shendam Road Government House come 2023.
The Ombugadu and Ewuga’camps may however prefer working with the new comer, Angbszo than pitch tenth with Maku’s radical but unwitting politics.
Angbazo may not be a new comer in Nasarawa state politics as has been wrongly insinuated in some quarters. His royal background and parental affiliation could have exposed him to politics as latest findings have revealed.
For some PDP critical stakeholders, the only survivor of the 2006 Benue military plane crash retired general may be a God sent for the rescue mission in Nasarawa state as he is the only genuine alternative the PDP can push into the race in 2023 with less bargages.
Ewuga’s withdrawal from the race is seen as a huge blessing to Angbszo as his camp is fast courting supporters towards boosting his governorship ambition.
From series of midnight meetings, retired generals from the Middle Belt are buying into his aspiration by the day since his public declaration.
From a reputable family background of the Aren Eggon traditional council, a consensus deal is a good idea but his deep pocket also gives an edge.
His father, Dr Bala Angbazo, the Aren Eggon, was himself the treasurer of the defunct Nigeria People’s Party, NPP that ruled the then old Plateau State under late Gov Solomon Lar between 1979-1983.
Angbszo is said to be the only contender who has no single political baggage against other politicans either in his opposition PDP or elsewhere.
The APC also fears that his emergence may cause a political upheaval, which Gov Sule may find difficult to contend with.
This is especially against the backdrop of a seeming bitter rivalry that is still boiling following the loss of the governor’s godfather, Sen Almakura of the APC national chairmanship to Sen Abdullahi Adamu.
Angbazo’s security and technical knowhow, many say, is a plus and huge asset in tackling the insecurity in the state once elected, which may sway huge votes in his favor.
On a fair deal scenario, even the duo of Maku and Ombugadu could prefer the general than either of them for the sole reason that they have each constituted themselves into arch political rivals which caused the PDP’s victory in the past.
Sen Adokwe’s chances are brighter if the Eggon politicans fail to put their acts together. His quintessential deft political calculations are next to none in the current PDP arrangements in the state.
A trained lawyer, an accomplished bureaucrat who rose to his civil service peak as a Permanent Secretary in 2003 and Commissioner under the ex Gov Abdullahi Adamu, Adoke was elected senator in 2007-2019.
Adokwe, who is also known as ‘Saa’ in Hausa, which translates to ‘luck’ in English,is known for surprises.
He has the capacity to outstage his political adversaries.
Adokwe’s only challenge is the tthat he is from the Southern Senatorial Zone which has the Governor if the state for three terms under his kindred, the late Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma (2007-2011) and the immediate past Gov Tanko Almakura, from 2011-2019.
It is expected that Angbszo may explore his political godfather, Sen David Mark by way of esprit de corps to mount severe pressure on Adokwe to step down for the solid choice team.
