Our Reporter February 9, 2024.
The fight for the soul of Plateau State no doubt has been won by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The final mandate to take over the administration of the state was handed over to the party by the Supreme Court in the landmark judgment delivered last month.
Before the Supreme Court verdict, the Court of Appeal in Abuja had already handed over 24 legislative seats earlier won by the PDP to the All Progressives Congress
(APC). From the look of things, after the pulsating legal battle that lasted seven months, the PDP is in control of the executive, while the APC dominates the legislative arm of government. Whether the ruling party will deploy its executive powers to reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeal in its favour is yet to be seen.
A five-time member of the House of Representatives from the state, Beni Lar said the ruling party would try to get justice on the matter. He said: “I am a victim of the injustice of the Court of Appeal, but I don’t know if our cases can be reversed. But there is nothing wrong with trying. This is the first of its kind in the history of democracy in Nigeria.”
The current political structure in Plateau State appears like a joint administration of the PDP and the APC. It could be so for the next four years. The spokesperson of the APC, Sylvanus Namang told The Nation in Jos that the party remains strong and domineering on the Plateau
His words:
“Leaving aside all the stereotyping, the name calling and everything, it remains a party beat in Plateau State. After all, look at the performance of the APC in the last election. After the combination of all the forces, the churches, and everything, the PDP was able to win only one senatorial district. That tells you that the APC is still a strong party on the Plateau.
“Now, as you know, losing the governorship is not the main thing. We have almost all of the National Assembly and 22 members of the Plateau State House of Assembly. So, we have only lost the governorship seat. We have gained the legislature, which is very crucial for the operation of government in our present democratic clan. So, we have been in opposition for the past eight months.
Were we not relevant? We provided alternative views to the government, even though they did not listen to us. But, at least, our role is to keep the government in check, which we have done so wonderfully. As I said, you know that the legislature is very crucial in the performance of any government.
So, when you have 22 and the ruling party, the government doesn’t have a single member, it tells you that the APC is still a very strong force on the Plateau.”
With the mindset of the APC as the main opposition party in Plateau State, emboldened by its dominance of the legislative arm of government, the party does not see itself as less important to the PDP. Namang echoed this viewpoint in the following words: “We remain strong and positive; we are fully on the ground and we are in control of the grassroots. We will therefore walk towards 2027 with our full strength to retake our mandate in the state.
“When you have five members of the House of Representatives, two senators and 22 members of the state House of Assembly, it shows that the party is still popular among the populace.
Do you think losing the governorship is the main thing? You know the stereotyping and all the name-calling. Let’s wait and see, whether those issues will still exist. Even with the blackmail the APC was subjected to, it lost the governorship election with a slim margin. Don’t be under any illusion that the APC is not strong on the Plateau; it is still as strong as ever.”
Notwithstanding, the ruling PDP believes that the APC does not stand any chance of challenging its dominance in the future. PDP spokesman, John Akans believes the APC has lost the support of the people.
He told The Nation: “With the body language of the people of Plateau State, there is no party called APC anymore. The people made such bold statements in the last governorship election. The people spoke with their votes and they stood by the party they gave their mandate to all these while.
Akans added: “Plateau has been the home of PDP since 1998, but the APC rigged their way into power on the Plateau in 2015; the opposition party never won any election in the state. In 2019 again the APC imposed itself on the people using federal might. But, in 2023, the people took back the mandate from the APC and handed it back to the PDP. Even though the APC tried to smuggle the mandate through the judiciary, with people’s prayers, the Supreme Court finally gave the mandate to the rightful owner.
“It is on record that since the inception of the APC in 2014, they have never won the election through the ballots in Plateau State; they normally win through the court. The truth is that the only way the APC can win the election in Plateau State is if the PDP does not participate. The only political party known to the people is the PDP; the APC is alien to the Plateau people and so it has always been difficult for them to win the election.
“Take my word for it, in the next four years, the PDP will be too strong for the APC to handle. If the PDP can record overwhelming victories at the polls in the 2023 election conducted by the APC, then you don’t need to doubt that the PDP is very formidable on the Plateau. By 2027, the PDP will not need to struggle to campaign because the PDP administration of Governor Caleb Mutfwang is already laying a solid foundation for massive people-oriented programmes. I can assure you that before the next four years, there will be no party like the APC on the Plateau.”
Akans dismissed the narrative that the APC formed the majority in the state House of Assembly with a wave of hand, saying, “Who gave the APC lawmakers the mandate they are claiming? Surely, it was not from the people at the constituencies, and the mandate was not from the polls.
We are talking about the legitimacy of your mandate; do these PDP lawmakers boast of the legitimacy of representation? Did the people of their constituencies vote for them at the polls? The answer is no.
So can you boast of the legitimacy of your mandate? Let them search their conscience. It is the people that give legitimacy of representation, not the court.”
Nevertheless, the political atmosphere in the tin city does not look peaceful. The atmosphere is still hazy and cloudy. There is the likelihood of both political parties opening a new chapter of litigation in their struggle to gain control of the state.
So far, it is not a winner-takes-all-all in Plateau State. But, the ability of the APC to sustain its legitimacy and remain relevant till 2027 cannot be guaranteed. There are indications that if the ruling party fails to reclaim the mandates given to the APC lawmakers by the Court of Appeal through legal means, the people at the constituencies are ready to initiate a recall of the APC lawmakers, including those at the state House of Assembly and those at the National Assembly.
From the fight for legitimacy at the governorship level to that of the legislative arm of government the “struggle continues” at Plateau political turf.
But a political analyst, Comrade Dave Maduks said: “I don’t think the APC will survive this ongoing political battle because the APC administration was shortlived on the Plateau.
They only ruled for eight years under former Governor Simon Lalong. But the PDP ruled the state for 16 years before the APC interrupted in 2015. So, compare the APC for eight years and the PDP for 16 years. Now, the PDP has gotten another four years.
Comparatively, you know which political party is stronger between the two. Truth be told, the survival of the APC on the Plateau is hanging on the balance.”
Another independent political analyst, Comrade Steve Aluko of the Civil Liberty Organization (CLO) said: “With increased political intelligence of the voters, the ruling PDP need to perform excellently well to keep the people on their side beyond 2027.
The APC is already standing by as an alternative platform for the people. That means the APC can bounce back if the PDP performs poorly in the next four years.
“Secondly, political activities on the Plateau are always influenced by regional and national politicking. I mean, the performance of the national government of the APC can influence the strength of the APC on the Plateau in 2027.
The APC may appear defeated today, but cannot be written off in 2027. Voters are more enlightened politically than before and so it’s not going to be business as usual.”
With the way and manner the APC as a relatively new political party in the country in 2014 was able to displace the PDP in 2015 in Plateau State, the opposition party is not down and out on the Plateau.
