The scenario in Benue State is a replica of what obtains at the
federal level and in most states of the federation: The Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are
dominating the scene, with the latter posing as the major challenger to
the former which has been ruling in the state since the birth of this
democratic dispensation in 1999.
The ‘controversial’ primaries held by both parties in the state late last year led to the emergence of Hon. Tarzoor Terhemen as the PDP candidate and Dr. Samuel Ortom as the APC candidate for the forth-coming guber poll. Will the umbrella hold sway this time or be swept away by the highly aggressive broom? Abah Adah takes a look at the chances of these two political parties, and by implication, the two flag bearers, clinching victory at the polls
Terhemen Tarzoor
Rt. Hon. (Prince) Terhemen Tarzoor, 43, is a young politician and the immediate past Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly who is now vying for the governorship seat in Benue State on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Given the noble background of Tarzoor, it is not unexpected of many to believe that he would be the toast of the electorate. But Tarzoor’s candidacy seems not to be getting the ample ovation expected across the state. What could be the cause of this?
The problem is not only that Tarzoor is not as popular, when it comes to politics in Benue State, as Dr Samuel Ortom, his major challenger, and some of those who challenged but could not outshine him during the Primaries, but also the background from which he is emerging. The fact that the incumbent PDP Governor, Gabriel Suswan, is his godfather has cast a lot of shadow on Tarzoor’s drive to win the mandate to the number one seat come February 14, 2015 when Nigerians go to the polls to choose the crop of leaders at both the federal and local levels.
Ask many Benue people today, they would tell you that they are not happy with the PDP-led government in the state given the lack-lustre performance of the government since 1999 when this democratic journey started, especially the eight-year rule of Suswam. Their grievances stem from what they call neglect of infrastructural development and financial mismanagement among others by the Suswam-led administration which has stalled payment of salaries and allowances of civil servants, especially teachers and lecturers in the State for months, with no sign of human concern or sympathy from the government. The whooping sum donated by the governor to PDP’s campaign fund even added salt to the wound.
“How can we accept a man single-handedly handpicked and imposed by a governor whose eight-year rule has offered virtually none of the expected dividends of democracy?” is the nagging question on the lips of most residents. The chronic poor performance of the government in the state for three decades makes everything about PDP stink in the nostrils of those who feel the state has been grossly short-changed.
On the other hand, many feel the state’s flag-bearer of the party is yet to attain the maturity age expected of a governor that can turn around the fortunes of the state, fearing he may carry the youthful arrogance and exuberance onto the coveted throne- an assertion that may have been founded on the proverbial saying that “what an elder sits down and sees cannot be seen by a child who climbs to the top of a tree”. The coast for Tarzoor even looks cloudier, seeing the more politically popular Dr Samuel Ortom who has been a major player in the PDP only to decamp to the APC to avert every move to scheme him out of the race just as he realized that the party’s Primary was not in his favour, becoming his major challenger at the poll.
But in a community of the wicked, you may spot one or two persons who are humane. That may be the case of Tarzoor. An economist, Tarzoor, while interacting with a guild of Benue State professionals at a Town Hall Meeting recently released a five-point cardinal sectorial developmental strategy that would help address the challenges of the state which included Agriculture, Health, Education, Tourism and Pension Reforms.
Dr. Samuel Ortom
Dr. Samuel Ioraer Ortom, an industrialist, a farmer, a businessman, and politician, is the major contender for the governorship seat in Benue State on the platform of the mega opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 28 election.
Dr Ortom was born on 23rd April, 1961 in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. He was Director of Operations of the PDP gubernatorial campaign in Benue State in 2007 and Director of Administration and Logistics of the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential campaign organisation in 2011. He was PDP National Auditor before his appointment as Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment in July 2011.
Given the above profile, it is clear that Ortom is not a boy the Nigerian politics. He achieved his popularity as a very active member of the ruling PDP in the state before defecting to the main opposition party, the APC, late last year when he discovered that his dream of flagging the party’s flag in the 2015 election was no longer realizable as Suswan backs his political arch rival, Tarzoor.
Ortom, who is the candidate of another political godfather in the state, former governor of the state and now the Minority Leader in the Senate, George Akume, made it through to becoming APC’s flag-bearer at the eleventh hour, though amidst controversies and protests. Can he lead the broom camp to victory by sweeping majority of the ballots in his favour? The task is quite uphill for Ortom, just as it is for his arch rival, Tarzoor, of the PDP.
Conclusion
First and foremost, Ortom is challenging the power of incumbency which his opponent, Tarzoor, through Suswan, is banking on. In most democracies around the world, especially in Africa, beating the incumbent is near impossible. What has made the political muscle of the PDP candidate even thicker is that the number three man in the country, Senate President David Mark, and his kinsman and political ally, and Minister of Interior, Comrade Abbah Moro, both from Zone C, have thrown their weight behind the Suswan sponsored PDP candidate, Tarzoor. It is therefore glaring that Ortom’s popularity may not even help matter in the zone during the poll.
But Ortom still has bright chance to carry the day. In the face of the unpaid salaries of teachers and civil servants which have led to closure of public schools across the state for close to a year now, he can convince the already fed-up electorate that he is actually coming to sweep the State House clean of corruption and bring about the desired change.
The ‘controversial’ primaries held by both parties in the state late last year led to the emergence of Hon. Tarzoor Terhemen as the PDP candidate and Dr. Samuel Ortom as the APC candidate for the forth-coming guber poll. Will the umbrella hold sway this time or be swept away by the highly aggressive broom? Abah Adah takes a look at the chances of these two political parties, and by implication, the two flag bearers, clinching victory at the polls
Terhemen Tarzoor
Rt. Hon. (Prince) Terhemen Tarzoor, 43, is a young politician and the immediate past Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly who is now vying for the governorship seat in Benue State on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Given the noble background of Tarzoor, it is not unexpected of many to believe that he would be the toast of the electorate. But Tarzoor’s candidacy seems not to be getting the ample ovation expected across the state. What could be the cause of this?
The problem is not only that Tarzoor is not as popular, when it comes to politics in Benue State, as Dr Samuel Ortom, his major challenger, and some of those who challenged but could not outshine him during the Primaries, but also the background from which he is emerging. The fact that the incumbent PDP Governor, Gabriel Suswan, is his godfather has cast a lot of shadow on Tarzoor’s drive to win the mandate to the number one seat come February 14, 2015 when Nigerians go to the polls to choose the crop of leaders at both the federal and local levels.
Ask many Benue people today, they would tell you that they are not happy with the PDP-led government in the state given the lack-lustre performance of the government since 1999 when this democratic journey started, especially the eight-year rule of Suswam. Their grievances stem from what they call neglect of infrastructural development and financial mismanagement among others by the Suswam-led administration which has stalled payment of salaries and allowances of civil servants, especially teachers and lecturers in the State for months, with no sign of human concern or sympathy from the government. The whooping sum donated by the governor to PDP’s campaign fund even added salt to the wound.
“How can we accept a man single-handedly handpicked and imposed by a governor whose eight-year rule has offered virtually none of the expected dividends of democracy?” is the nagging question on the lips of most residents. The chronic poor performance of the government in the state for three decades makes everything about PDP stink in the nostrils of those who feel the state has been grossly short-changed.
On the other hand, many feel the state’s flag-bearer of the party is yet to attain the maturity age expected of a governor that can turn around the fortunes of the state, fearing he may carry the youthful arrogance and exuberance onto the coveted throne- an assertion that may have been founded on the proverbial saying that “what an elder sits down and sees cannot be seen by a child who climbs to the top of a tree”. The coast for Tarzoor even looks cloudier, seeing the more politically popular Dr Samuel Ortom who has been a major player in the PDP only to decamp to the APC to avert every move to scheme him out of the race just as he realized that the party’s Primary was not in his favour, becoming his major challenger at the poll.
But in a community of the wicked, you may spot one or two persons who are humane. That may be the case of Tarzoor. An economist, Tarzoor, while interacting with a guild of Benue State professionals at a Town Hall Meeting recently released a five-point cardinal sectorial developmental strategy that would help address the challenges of the state which included Agriculture, Health, Education, Tourism and Pension Reforms.
Dr. Samuel Ortom
Dr. Samuel Ioraer Ortom, an industrialist, a farmer, a businessman, and politician, is the major contender for the governorship seat in Benue State on the platform of the mega opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 28 election.
Dr Ortom was born on 23rd April, 1961 in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. He was Director of Operations of the PDP gubernatorial campaign in Benue State in 2007 and Director of Administration and Logistics of the Goodluck/Sambo Presidential campaign organisation in 2011. He was PDP National Auditor before his appointment as Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment in July 2011.
Given the above profile, it is clear that Ortom is not a boy the Nigerian politics. He achieved his popularity as a very active member of the ruling PDP in the state before defecting to the main opposition party, the APC, late last year when he discovered that his dream of flagging the party’s flag in the 2015 election was no longer realizable as Suswan backs his political arch rival, Tarzoor.
Ortom, who is the candidate of another political godfather in the state, former governor of the state and now the Minority Leader in the Senate, George Akume, made it through to becoming APC’s flag-bearer at the eleventh hour, though amidst controversies and protests. Can he lead the broom camp to victory by sweeping majority of the ballots in his favour? The task is quite uphill for Ortom, just as it is for his arch rival, Tarzoor, of the PDP.
Conclusion
First and foremost, Ortom is challenging the power of incumbency which his opponent, Tarzoor, through Suswan, is banking on. In most democracies around the world, especially in Africa, beating the incumbent is near impossible. What has made the political muscle of the PDP candidate even thicker is that the number three man in the country, Senate President David Mark, and his kinsman and political ally, and Minister of Interior, Comrade Abbah Moro, both from Zone C, have thrown their weight behind the Suswan sponsored PDP candidate, Tarzoor. It is therefore glaring that Ortom’s popularity may not even help matter in the zone during the poll.
But Ortom still has bright chance to carry the day. In the face of the unpaid salaries of teachers and civil servants which have led to closure of public schools across the state for close to a year now, he can convince the already fed-up electorate that he is actually coming to sweep the State House clean of corruption and bring about the desired change.
No comments:
Post a Comment