By Gaddafi Ibrahim Tanko, Esq.
It was Harold Lasswell, in one of his classics, who said that “politics is the game of who gets what, when, and how.” That timeless assertion is gaining renewed traction and credibility especially if the feelers making the rounds are true: that Governor Agbu Kefas may indeed be on his way out of the PDP and into the governing APC.
I wouldn’t blame the Governor. Any politician worth his salt would naturally be on the lookout for greener pastures, particularly as the crises bedeviling the beleaguered People’s Democratic Party continue to deepen by the day, threatening the very existence of the party itself.
There’s no denying that Taraba has long been a PDP stronghold since 1999. If the Governor chooses to jump ship, he will inevitably find himself at the center of a political dilemma as the man who severed the state from its historical political umbilical cord.
But it was this writer who, in one of his random poetic musings, likened politicians to nomads, constantly moving from one place to another in search of greener pastures for their cattle. Just as a nomad prioritizes the safety and well-being of his herd above his own, so too do politicians often place the interests of their followers and political survival above emotional loyalty to an artificial construct like a political party.
So, it goes without saying that Governor Kefas has compelling reasons not to allow himself to sink with the PDP’s Titanic. Moving to the APC would also help him gain the critical federal attention needed to put Taraba on Nigeria’s map of development and progress. The benefits of this move far outweigh the merits of staying behind, especially when the state has consistently been sidelined from governance at the center.
A case in point is the ongoing abandonment of critical national infrastructure projects like the Ibi Bridge, which connects the North East and central Nigeria. The project initially progressed at a commendable pace but has, in recent times, stalled—first in the dying days of the Buhari administration, and now into the Tinubu regime.
What about the Numan–Jalingo road? The public outcry has remained constant. This crucial road links Adamawa, Taraba, and other North East states, yet it has become a death trap and a refuge for criminals who prey on unsuspecting travelers.
The collapse of the Namnai Bridge has added to these woes. Its deteriorating condition has recently resulted in tragic loss of lives and property worth millions of naira. Despite repeated promises from the NEDC, the political will to begin repairs has without sounding immodest been moving at a snail’s pace.
It is precisely to fast-track projects and initiatives of this magnitude—including the much-touted Mambilla Hydro Power Project that Governor Kefas must be bold and decisive enough to align with the Progressives.
By now, the Governor must have seen clearly that even the high-level panel he constituted to facilitate investment and development in collaboration with the Federal Government has failed to yield the desired results largely for reasons political observers have attributed to his status as an opposition figure.
Taraba has suffered significant losses in terms of federal presence and investment ever since we adopted the path of opposition politics. As a result, the state has been relegated to a second-tier role in the national scheme of things.
Our collective progress is far too important to be sacrificed on the altar of loyalty to a political vehicle that is clearly veering off course—headed for the rocks, rather than the promised land.
Gaddafi Ibrahim Tanko, Esq. is a legal practitioner based in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. He can be reached via email at [email protected]