The much anticipated PDP primaries has come and gone –a winner in GNS Pwajok has been declared winner in a keenly contested race.

However, the results have been rejected by other contestants, crying foul play and citing election fraud –they allege that several things were spectacularly wrong with the process and that the results must not be accepted. Several groups backing the government including the Plateau Youth Patriotic Front (PYPF), Movement for the Survival of Plateau People (MOSOPP) and Plateau Patriots have come out to say the process was fair.

The much anticipated PDP primaries has come and gone –a winner, GNS Pwajok has been declared from the keenly contested race.

However, the results have been rejected by other contestants, crying foul play and citing electoral fraud –they allege that several things were spectacularly wrong with the process and that the results must not be accepted. In response to that, several groups backing the government including the Plateau Youth Patriotic Front (PYPF), Movement for the Survival of Plateau People (MOSOPP) and Plateau Patriots have all come out in defence of the process, saying it was free and fair.

In view of this, ViewPointNigeria has sought to undertake an analysis, to understand how the primary elections were won and lost by respective candidates.

Firstly, GNS Pwajok garnered 453 votes, against a combined total of 365 votes by all other aspirants (i.e., Longjan – 163, Victor Lar – 109, Haruna Dabin – 16, Sunny Tyoden – 7, Johnclark Dabwan – 7, John Alkali – 3, Chris Bature – 3, Joseph Golwa – 2, Fidelis Tapgun – 1, Prof. Wapmuk – ?, N. Nabasu – 0, Jimmy Chetto – 0).

So essentially, the arithmetic shows that even if all the aspirants voted for one candidate, they still would not have won the election. But is that really the case? No, we think the political equation is a lot more complex than that.

There are several reasons why the numbers look that skewed, and I shall explain. Firstly there is no doubt that because the aspirants could not reach a consensus ahead of the primaries, many delegates already knew that with 13 aspirants from the Southern and Central zones contesting against the Government candidate (GNS Pwajok), they stood little chance of winning and would have therefore simply pitched their tent with the perceived winning candidate. So to that end, they simply casted their votes for GNS Pwajok who already looked poised to win.

The next question –why could these 13 individuals from the Southern and Central zone, who were united by the fact that Jang was imposing someone on them, not be able to reach consensus to select one candidate? Were they simply too greedy to step down for each other? Or were there other factors at play? We think, their inability to reach a consensus goes way beyond greed, it was actually a political strategy deployed by the government to splinter the votes. Did I hear you say how? Well, keep reading.

Indication are now showing that amongst the aspirants, there were double-agents (i.e., people who were publicly telling their people that they were seeking the governorship, but in reality, they were secretly working behind the scenes for the emergence of GNS Pwajok), these aspirants met with the government and were commissioned/given a game-plan to scuttle the chances of any Southern candidate consensus arrangement.

So during the consensus meetings which were instigated by Dakum Shown, these double-agents continually raised suspicion amongst other aspirants that the Dakum Shown group was merely working for the interest of Longjan and not the overall interest of other aspirants. They would listen intently to the strategies and plans discussed at the meetings and then leaked same back to Government. The government, being skilled in political strategizing, execution and implementation, took the information and used them succinctly to cleverly execute the emergence of GNS Pwajok.

These double-agents were not in the primaries to vie for any positions, they were simply there to divide the votes and thwart the emergence of a Southern candidate. If you disagree with my assertion –how then can you explain a situation where an aspirant gets zero (0) votes at the primaries? If you are politically adept, you’d know that in such elections, it is impossible to get zero votes because every aspirant votes in the primaries and naturally, you’d vote for yourself. So how did some aspirants end up having 0 votes? Did they vote for someone else? If they did, then who was this candidate that they voted for? If you argue that the 5 invalid votes at the primaries, were for these aspirants, then my argument is – if that is the case, how can an aspirant who is meant to be the expert on how to get himself voted, cast an invalid vote? –this is nearly impossible. I can say with a high degree of certainty that some of these aspirants were working for the emergence of GNS Pwajok.

Now, permit me to state that I think the emergence of GNS Pwajok or any of the other candidates for that matter, i,e., Ignatius Longjan or Victor Lar etc, would be a massive blessing for Plateau, because of the calibre of thes dividuals –but the dishonesty of some of these Southern and Central zone aspirants (who shall remain nameless for now) who deceived their electorate and their people into thinking they stood for one thing, and then did another, is indeed shameful and dishonourable. That said, this is politics or “poli-TRICKs” as some call it, so any deceptive means can be employed, but perhaps not at the expense of the will the people you represent.

Now why do I think, the aspirants who scored zero votes may have been culpable and working with Government? Look at the list of aspirants now calling on the PDP headquarters to cancel the elections –the list contains names of Fidelis Tapgun, Victor Lar, Haruna Dabin, Sunny Tyoden, Chris Bature and John Alkali only. Where are the other individuals who also contested, especially those who score no votes? You’d notice that they are conspicuously absent from the list.

See list at

http://www.viewpointnigeria.com/politics-mob/item/1439-plateau-pdp-primaries-12-of-the-governorship-aspirants-reject-results-petition-pdp-hqtrs

What is clear, is that there were underhand dealings which went on before the primaries –some aspirants sold their dignities for lofty promises and dreams of appointments or other benefits. What a shame!

In conclusion, if indeed the process was flawed as it is being alleged, then all the aspirants should stand together and call it flawed -else they should all sheath their swords, eat the humble pie and congratulate GNS Pwajok. Like Kemi Nshe, Dariye and others have done……

Essentially, before anyone begins to cast apersions and petitioning the PDP HQ about how flawed the process was, perhaps the honourable thing to do is to first look inwardly and assess how his/their inability to agree on a consensus person, costed them the nomination.

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Who is deceiving who? Questions from Plateau PDP Primaries