Ex-Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye, and former Deputy Governor of the state, Mrs Pauline Tallen, have taken nomination forms to run for senatorial elections in Plateau central and Southern senatorial zones of the state. They want to contest on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The duo, chieftains of Labour Party (LP) in Plateau State, were staunch stakeholders prior to the 2011 general elections, but were compelled by circumstances to dump the PDP for the Labour Party.

While Dariye won his senatorial election, Tallen lost the 2011 governorship contest to Jonah Jang, who secured his second term in office, leaving Mrs Tallen stranded.

Ex-Plateau State Governor, Joshua Dariye, and former Deputy Governor of the state, Mrs Pauline Tallen, have taken nomination forms to run for senatorial elections in Plateau central and Southern senatorial zones of the state. They want to contest on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The duo, chieftains of Labour Party (LP) in Plateau State, were staunch stakeholders prior to the 2011 general elections, but were compelled by circumstances to dump the PDP for the Labour Party.

While Dariye won his senatorial election, Tallen lost the 2011 governorship contest to Jonah Jang, who secured his second term in office, leaving Mrs Tallen stranded.

Dariye and Tallen have tried to return to PDP several times, but found it difficult to secure the waiver as the duo and several other chieftains of Labour Party were directed by Plateau PDP to return to their wards and commence the process of their return.

It was also gathered that Governor Jang at a meeting with PDP stakeholders recently at Rayfield Government House recently said that Dariye and others wishing to return to PDP should wait till December after the party primaries, insisting that those who stood by the party all the years that Dariye and others left should get the dividends of their loyalty to the party.

It was also gathered that former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu, has become a rallying force for Abuja based- Plateau politicians wishing to wrestle power from Jang in the next political dispensation.

Meanwhile, the Governorship battle in Plateau State for 2015 has divided the Redemption political family of Governor Jonah David Jang as Jang’s anointed candidate, Senator Gyang NS Pwajok, and Deputy Governor Ignatius Longjan have collected the Governorship nomination forms to slog it out at the November gubernatorial primaries.

While the Deputy Governor’s sympathizers bought the expression of intention form for him in Abuja last weekend and handed it over to him on Monday morning at his lodge in Jos on Monday, Pwajok, the preferred candidate of Jang, purchased his form on Monday in Abuja through Plateau youth groups and it will be handed over to him on Wednesday.

Others that have picked Governorship nomination form in the last one week include Third Republic Governor of the state, Fidelis Tapgun, Senator Victor Lar, Engr Jimmy Cheto, ex-Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Prof, Sonie Tyoden, and Arch John Alkali.

Reliable sources have confirmed that the battle ground has now been shifted from the issue of purchasing nomination forms to securing of delegates that will participate in the electing of governorship primaries in November next month, while political meetings are being held at several political camps in the state to determine who finally picks the PDP governorship ticket and as well APC ticket in the state to stand for February 2015 Governorship election in the state.

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Dariye, Tallen and other get waivers to vie for post under PDP