It started far back in 1999 under the leadership of the then chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State, Hon. Abdulazak Musa, when the party defeated the major opposition party in the state, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
The then former Governor Jolly Nyame who was the first elected governor of the state from 1992 to 1993 during military rule won the governorship election in 1999 under the platform of the PDP.
The state is divided into three senatorial districts predominantly Christians while the Muslims dominate the central senatorial district.
Since the return of democracy in 1999, the PDP nominates their governorship candidates from the Christian side.
Nyame from the northern senatorial district was a Christian from Zing local government area of the state. He contested against Ahmed Jalingo, a Fulani Muslim governorship candidate of the ANPP from Jalingo local government area also from the same senatorial district.
Nyame, a Mumuye man from the majority tribe of the northern senatorial district won his reelection in 2003 still under the platform of the PDP even when he contested against another Christian Obadiah Ando.
Ando, the then governorship candidate of the main opposition party in the state in 2003, ANPP is a Jukun man, one of the majority tribes and also a Christian from Wukari, southern Taraba.
In 2007, the PDP nominated another Christian, the late Pharmacist Danbaba Suntai from Bali local government area of Taraba State from the central senatorial district.
The major contestant against Suntai was Ahmed Yusuf, a Muslim from Jalingo local government area of the state; the governorship candidate of Action Congress (AC), Suntai of the PDP won the 2007 governorship election of the state.
Suntai, a Christian and an Ichen man, a minority tribe won his reelection in 2011 still under the platform of the PDP, the governorship election was keenly contested with Joel Danlami Ikenya, a Christian and a Jukun man from Wukari, Ikenya contested under the platform of AC.
The late Suntai had a plane clash and was seriously injured during his second term as the governor of Taraba State; his deputy, Alhaji Garba Umar, a Muslim from Karim Lamido local government area from the northern senatorial district succeeded him as Acting Governor.
The tussle to stop the swearing in of Umar as substantive governor of the state ignited series of constitutional crisis which led to the return of the former deputy governor of Suntai Alhaji Abubaka Danladi who was impeached few months before Suntai had the plane clash.
Danladi, also a Muslim from Karim Lamido completed the tenure of Suntai as acting governor till 2015.
In the 2015 governorship election, the PDP nominated Darius Ishaku, a Jukun Christian from Takum local government area of the state as its governorship candidate while the All Progressives Congress (APC) nominated the late Sen Aisha Jumai Alhassan, popularly known as Mama Taraba, a Muslim from Jalingo local government area.
While Ishaku was declared winner of the 2015 governorship election, Mama Taraba headed to court, contested the outcome of the election till the Supreme Court decided in favour of Ishaku.
In 2019, Governor Ishaku won his reelection, the major opposition in the race was the former deputy governor of the state, Abubakar Danladi, a Muslim from Karim-Lamido.
Ishaku was said to have gotten his nomination from 2015 with the assistance of Gen TY Danjuma (rtd), a very highprofile personality influenced the coming of Ishaku as governor through the former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.
During the past eight years of Ishaku’s administration, Danjuma became a regular visitor in the state, initiating and constructing projects, unlike during Nyame and Suntai era.
Danjuma after installing Ishaku as the governor of the state, was also committed to the state’s political affairs by influencing decisions to bring on board some political appointees and elected positions.
The former Chief of Army staff was also very influential in the just concluded governorship election in Taraba State.
Danjuma’s decisions became very powerful in the state such that all governorship, senatorial and other political office seekers started frequenting his Lagos residence in search of his blessings.
LEADERSHIP Weekend reliably gathered that the Taraba State governor-elet, Col Agbu Kefas (rtd) was anointed by Danjuma. While Kefas was the state chairman of the PDP, he was yet to complete his tenure, Danjuma insisted that Kefas must resign and be nominated as the governorship candidate of the party in Taraba State.
All those who were in the contest could not resist the wish of Danjuma including Governor Ishaku. Kefas was therefore nominated as the PDP governorship candidate and subsequently governor-elect, though it was allegedly not the choice of the aPDP and Ishaku.
Agbu of PDP is a Christian Jukun man from Wukari. He contested in the election with Prof Sani Yahaya of the NNPP, a Fulani Muslim man from Gasol local government area from the central senatorial district of the state.
It is therefore obvious to state that religion has more coronation in the state politics than tribal sentiment. It is also important to note that as at now, Danjuma is a more serious force in the state politics than any other politician.
