Key leaders of the opposition in Taraba state state are said to be miffed by the rising profile of Governor Darius Ishaku over his anti open grazing bill, according to a report by an online newspaper, Kwararafa Reporters.The report said a strategy meeting conveyed by top leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in an unnamed location evaluated the bill and its impact on the politics of 2019.
The anonymous source told newspaper that part of the worry is that the dominant Christian population in the state back the governor on the bill. If APC is seen as opposing the bill, many of its Christian fans might rethink their membership. He said, “sadly, religion has once again found its way into our politics. It appears we are back to 2015 when the PDP rode on the back of pro Christian sentiments to win the election. This anti open grazing bill is a trap and that’s what we think in the APC. You see, if we oppose it, everyone would say well APC has always being a Muslim party. If we support it, our base would attack us of selling out. Its a catch 22. Or better still like the Devil Alternative. ”
He said party leaders rose from the meeting without a clear cut decision. He noted further that some at the party apparatchiks said it was better to align with the bill. He said, “in the next few days, the party may say it supports a robust debate on the bill, a smart way of buying time while we strategize. But the problem with that is those who are in support of the bill would see through our reluctance to support it. What’s more, our Fulani and Muslims supporters want us to outrightly condemn the bill. If we do that, we would have shot ourselves in the foot. Another thing is that an APC state like Benue just next door has embraced the bill and have since enacted the law. If Taraba APC opposes the bill, we stand a risk of being branded anti Christian.”
He went on further to say that some observers at the meeting agreed to intensify their attack on the governor’s record for the past two years. “Sadly,” he said, “it appears all that people seem to care about now is the bill and its aftermath. We came out with an expose on the governor, about how he embezzled 150 billion naira. It didn’t catch on. The ruling party is using this anti grazing bill to smear us and shut us out. But we are still studying the situation. We won’t relent in telling Taraba citizens that Darius is a huge failure. If we continue to sing that song, may be they would listen to us in spite of the current popularity of the governor. Hopefully too, his popularity may dwindle before long and we shall continue to expose him. One thing we are sure of, Taraba people won’t vote for him in 2019 as he has failed them.”
Also check by the paper showed that the momentum is with the governor who is being hailed as a hero among the larger electorate of the state for his action on the bill.
