11 Governors Bent on Imposing Candidate For 2015 PDP Primaries (3)

Jonah Jang/Plateau State & Mukhtar Yero/Kaduna State

It is no longer news that the just concluded PDP Delegate Elections left a stalemate in many states across Nigeria and as the race towards 2015 gathers momentum, many incumbent governors are either running for Senate, or  
trying to impose favoured politicians to succeed them.It is now an open secret that 11 governors today have caused battles as they attempt to dictate who steps into one political office or not. Here is a window to what is going on in these states.

(5) Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, is currently serving the remaining term of former boss, Mr Patrick Yakowa., Yero came into power following the tragic death of Governor Yakowa in a helicopter crash in Bayelsa state.
The death of Yakowa, a Christian from Southern Kaduna, and the emergence of Yero, a Muslim from Northern axis of the state, set the state on edge for so long. Since his emergence as governor, he had been facing stiff opposition from Yakowa's loyalists and kinsmen who view is emergence as a deprivation of the Southern Kaduna slot.

It took efforts of Vice President Namadi Sambo, who is also a former governor of the state, to help mobilise support for him in those early days of his administration. But the allegations that he abandoned his predecessors projects further strengthened the opposition against his him from the Southern zone.

Beyond that, Yero also has former Governor Ahmed Makarfi to contend with. Markarfi, who is grassroots politician, has not hidden his opposition to Yero, whom he believe to be the godson of Vice President Sambo - his arch political enemy. Also, with the 2015 approaching and the massive appeal the APC has in the North, including Kaduna, Yero has lots of work to do to realize dream.

Meanwhile, Yero may win his party's nod but his re-election bid would require substantial support from Yakowa's loyalists and kinsmen in a united PDP to sail through. Headwinds and thunderstorms ahead.

 

(6) Jonah Jang/Plateau State

These are no easy times for Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang. Many in the state confess that the governor is Godsend, given his excellent performance in virtually every facet of governance. But the politics of succession has pitted him against many critical political factors in the state.

Jang has consistently said that he would wait on God to reveal his successor. But there are growing allegations that the appeal to supernatural intervention may just be a smokescreen to perfect a plan to handover to his Berom kinsmen in Plateau North senatorial zone. The belief in some quarters is that Jang may have decided that the next governor of the state would come from the quartet of Evangelist Chris Bature, Barrister Edward Pwajok, Senator GNS Pwajok, and Mr. ID Gyang, all of Berom ethnic stock as the governor. But many believe that Jang's ultimate game is to pick his son, Yakubu, who is one of his advisers. The governor is also nursing a senatorial ambition, which readily puts him opposition to the current senator for Plateau North, Senator Gyang Pwajok.

Meanwhile, the insistence on a successor from his own ethnic stock and senatorial district may create ill will against Jang that can be extended to his party. With this, the governor may win the party nominations but he may not be able to shepherd PDP to victory at the general elections.