By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Nigeria’s liaison officer at the United Nations Commission on the limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in New York, Alhaji Aliyu Umar, has joined the race for the Taraba State All Progressives Congress governorship ticket.
Umar who was said to have been dragged into the race by his people on account of his proven capacity, Thursday picked the governorship Expression of Interest and Nomination forms through his friends and political allies.
Addressing newsmen at the national secretariat of the APC, leader of the group and former federal lawmaker, Hon. Kabiru Jalo, lamented that the state had been through a very turbulent period due to what he described as poor leadership which the group believes would be corrected by Aliyu Umar.
The group which came to purchase nomination form for the aspirant said that about 168 wards across the state had endorsed Umar’s governorship aspiration.
According to Jalo, most of the delegates from the 168 wards of the state deliberated on the choice of governorship candidate for the APC before finally settling for Umar.
“We have done something in Taraba state that is unprecedented in the political history of the state. We wouldn’t let it go unnoticed because it is important to us, in trying to do what is right, in trying to deepen our democracy especially in Taraba state.
“We came under a political association in Taraba state that is known as New Taraba Agenda. Like I said earlier we have done something that is unprecedented. We came together, brought in stakeholders from across the state and looked around independently, bringing in objective minds to look at the issues in Taraba state and determine what is the way forward,” he said.
When asked to comment on the reported division in Taraba APC, Jalo said: “The elite might be divided but we can tell you that the people who form the hub of the party in the state are not divided. The division among the elites is inconsequential to our people.”
