Plateau APC Guber Primaries: Dr. Sarpiya, the best APC Aspirant to Defeat Mutfwang, Delegates Clarion Call

By Genius Nanfa

As the Plateau State 2023 Gubernatorial gong and the ticking of the hands of a clock sound loud and clear, the political murky waters and subtle deployment of political arsenal, mudslinging, intrigues, and intricacies to ensure success in the March, 2023 Gubernatorial election on the Plateau are on top gear.

Now that Mwaghavul has emerged as the opposition's candidate, PDP gladiators, spectators, analysts, and onlookers are watching with bated breath, speculating on what Governor Simon Bako Lalong and the All Progressives Congress (APC) Delegates must consider before throwing the gubernatorial ticket.

It is a well-known fact that the APC's incorrect choice of flagbearer, or rather the imposition of the acclaimed government candidate on Plateau citizens in any guise, will undoubtedly attract a repeat of the 2015 mass exodus from the ruling party, marking the end of the party in the state and its imposed candidate.

Since the PDP delegates have decided to nominate a Mwaghavul candidate to run on the party's ticket, it's a good time for APC delegates to cast their votes in large numbers for Dr. Danyaro Dakon Sarpiya, a gubernatorial aspirant who has traverse the length and breadth of the state and is fully aware of its problems and solutions, as well as a Mwaghavul man.

It is undeniably true that Mangu is one of Plateau State's most popular local governments, and the best approach to deal with the opposition, who have chosen Mwaghavul as their candidate, is to equally give Mwaghavul who possesses both cash, capacity and other resources.

It's been rumored that the government, after handpicking the delegates through Party Ward Chairmen, denies some aspirants access to the delegates and then appoints a liaison officer to collect the ballots from the delegates, in violation of international best practices, to ensure that the government's preferred candidate wins the day.

It is well known that Plateau State is home to intellectuals and politicians who have laid the foundation for Nigeria's democracy since independence and the return of civilian rule; this may explain why a Plateau citizen can tolerate bad governance for eight years without upheavals, protests, or any other form of disruption in governance, but cannot tolerate imposition of a candidate of any kind and in any guise.

Despite the projects carried out on the Plateau by His Excellency Da Jonah David Jang, the former Governor of Plateau State, the people rose in unison against him when he was hell-bent on installing a successor whom the Plateau citizenry vehemently rejected and ensured did not see the light of day, it was undeniable fact that the people do not reject the party, the candidate, but the imposition that brought about the flag-bearer of the Plateau State.

To the majority of Plateau citizens, impunity has been fought tooth and nail; those voices that cried and called for the Plateau Project, which led to the incumbent administration's overwhelming support, set aside any political affiliation, personal interest, or religious interest to project the state's popular interest; those same voices are silently waiting.

The avalanche of support from various quotas in the state that led to the current Governor's emergence are today quiet and as usual waiting with bated breath for the manifestation of the imposition in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, primaries on the Plateau, with some aspirants clinging to the Governor's favors, that is, his friends and family, regardless of the people's rhythm and body language.

On the other hand, those cavalcading the political gallery in the name of government favors, bursting of their ties with the rescue administration's highest echelon, and yet others depending on Abuja contacts in the APC's National Headquarters.

Even after the lessons of the recently concluded bye election in the Bassa/Jos North federal constituency for the election of a member of the House of Representatives, where the electorate appeared to perceive the ruling APC candidate as an imposition, citizens mobilized in large numbers to vote for the opposition candidate, regardless of tribe, religion, or political party.

One would naturally assume that the governor's and government's acclaimed favors, who are truly party men, will reflect soberly on how to rectify such an expensive blunder in 2023 by rejecting the temptation of imposing an unpopular opinion on the people of the State, which will finally bury the ruling APC on the Plateau.

The APC's loss in the bye election in Jos North/Bassa, where the party came in third, is a call for sober reflection and serious study of where the party went wrong, as well as carefully listening to the people's opinion by presenting the most popular among all the aspirants. Someone who has the people's support and can deliver the state by winning in a landslide victory, rather than someone who may get the ticket but loses in the main election, as happened in the Jos North/ Bassa federal constituency.

The bye election was a second chance given to the ruling APC, an opportunity that Dara Jang never had and which cost him dearly; a costly mistake that has sent the then-ruling PDP into oblivion and ushered in a new chapter in Plateau politics, an experience that is better imagined than felt by some high-ranking figures.

It is critical and imperative for state party officials and the governor to interact with all aspirants in order to eliminate any issues of favoritism on the part of the governor, the government, and the national party executive, as well as all aspirants being carried along, and there should be fairness in the process where aspirants accept their faith whether they win or lose.

Most political pundits, party loyalists, stakeholders, and the majority of voters agree that Dr. Danyaro Dakon Sarpiya has the charisma, competence, capacity, credibility, and wherewithal to lead the party to victory in the upcoming general elections, unlike some of the aspirants who have completely lost touch with reality, scheming how their favors in power would circumvent and truncate the process to their advantage even at the detriment of the party in the general elections.

Dr. Sarpiya is an indispensable personality with the highest followership in the 2023 Plateau Gubernatorial election, which was certainly zoned to the Plateau Central Senatorial District to put in a victorious successor to the current, Gov. Simon Bako Lalong.

Dr. Sarpiya stands out among the comity of aspirants for the 2023 Plateau Gubernatorial race when credibility, competence, general acceptance, proficiency, youthful exorbitant, and agility are the fulcrum of conviction and the prerequisite perquisite for swaying votes for the delivery of the right development and good governance for the people.

Dr. Sarpiya, an Ampang West-born politician, technocrat by calling, administrator by profession, accountant by discipline, a man parsimonious of praises, sycophants and lackey who has been beneficial to his kinsmen throughout his sojourn and political trajectory, a silent politician who has sponsored a plethora of political and non-political figures.

Sarpiya's political career began during his undergraduate days, which may have inspired his winning streak in all facets of his political life. His biggest political weapon is his deep understanding of grassroots politics and mobilization skills, which serve as a potent tool for his winning sprinkles.

Dr. Sarpiya aint a noise maker but pragmatic leader who has influenced the lives of youths both within and outside of his immediate community, he galvanized a powerful and formidable support base for the various politicians on the Plateau and beyond even as a civil servant..

Dr. Sarpiya's main focus will be on three areas that will improve the lives and well-being of Plateau citizens: agricultural, infrastructure, and human capital development; security and sustainable peace; economic rejuvenation, industrial revolution, and small and medium enterprise revitalization.

Dr. Sarpiya has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he has the capacity and pedigree to effectively harness human and capital resources in order to positively rejuvenate society through effective leadership skills that would provide fertile ground for the teaming youths to be industrious rather than overly reliant on white collar jobs.

With Dr. Sarpiya's vast leadership experience, it is feasible to put an end to the pockets of criminality and insecurity affecting Plateau villages and restore the elusive tranquillity that has long been associated with the home of peace and tourism.

It is a clarion call on the most esteemed delegates in the All Progressives Congress, APC's 2023 Plateau State Gubernatorial primaries and the voters to mobilize and come out en masse to vote Dr. Danyaro Dakon Sarpiya for Governor of Plateau State in the forthcoming party primaries and general elections, for a better and prosperous Plateau State.