AN OPEN LETTER TO DR. AGBU KEFAS, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF TARABA STATE
9th February, 2024.
Dr. Agbu Kefas,
The Executive Governor of Taraba State,
Taraba State Government House,
Jalingo.
Through:
Chief Barr. Gebon Timothy Kataps,
The Secretary to the State Government,
Taraba State,
Jalingo.
Dear Sir,
PASSIONATE APPEAL TO DESIST FROM INTERFERING WITH THE POPULAR CHOICE AND ENDORSEMENT OF HON. INNOCENT JABAYANG UMAR AS SDP CANDIDATE FOR JALINGO YORRO ZING FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY
The above subject matter refers.
We Concerned Mumuye Sons and Daughters, do hereby write on behalf of the entire Mumuye Nation worldwide to vehemently express the dissatisfaction and disappointment of the Mumuye Nation over the way and manner Your Excellency and the Peoples’ Democratic Party has approached the issue of the bye-election currently on-going in Jalingo, Yorro and Zing Federal Constituency.
By way of recapitulation, may we take Your Excellency down memory lane as a reminder that the foundation of the political party and structures that were/are enjoyed today by Your Excellency, was founded by and is continually strengthened by the age-long unwavering financial, social, and political support of the Mumuye Nation.
Since the conception of Taraba State from the defunct Gongola State, The People’s Democratic Party (the PDP) has been the ruling party in Taraba State. Our son, Rev. Jolly T. Nyame who had served as Governor from 1992 to 1993 under the political platform of the Social Democratic Party (the SDP), contested and won the 1999 gubernatorial election under the platform of the PDP. During his term as Governor from 1999 to 2007, Rev. Jolly T. Nyame enjoyed the unalloyed support of his kinsmen and other sister tribes like the Jukuns, and with this support, he strengthened the foundations of the PDP such that his predecessors Danbaba Danfulani Suntai and Darius Dickson Ishaku, a Jukun man from Takum whom you succeeded all reaped the fruits of Rev Jolly T Nyame’s strategic work in PDP and all enjoyed unvarying support of the Mumuye Nation despite all oppositions.
We make bold to categorically state that, it is on the backbone of this political party built on the shoulders of the Mumuye Nation amongst other ethnic groups that you have today become Governor. In the election that produced you as Governor, notwithstanding our disgust and disgruntlement with the way and manner the Primary Election of the PDP was conducted under your chairmanship, the Mumuye Nation still gave you 100% support such that even our sons who contested the Membership and Senatorial seats at the state and federal elections under the platform of opposing political parties still supported your gubernatorial ambition. A clear and important example is Hon. Innocent Jabayang Umar, who contested the Northern Taraba Senatorial seat under the platform of the Social Democratic Party but in lieu of supporting Danladi Baido Tijo who was the gubernatorial candidate of the SDP, gave you, a PDP candidate, an all-out support. This is the man whom you have today thrown all caution to the bin and withdrawn your support for in favor of a PDP candidate who did not support your aspiration to be who you are today in Taraba State. The statistics are there to prove this as a fact.
Furthermore, may we remind you of the long-term fraternal relationship between the Jukun Nation and the Mumuye Nation. This relationship is the major reason PDP is still a political party to reckon with and why Taraba State still stands strong despite the many attempts by her enemies to take over the state from her indigenes. It is this cordial relationship that has produced all our leaders and kept the political peace of the State. While the Jukun Nation stands strong politically and otherwise, in Southern Taraba it is important that her sister tribe, the Mumuye Nation also wax strong in the Northern border of the State in this way, can Taraba State withstand all external pressures and defend itself against those who wish her bad. Your Excellency, these are dire times in which rash decisions can bring about dire consequences for our dear State.
We fear that there is a form of political xenophobia going on against the Mumuye Nation and it is not healthy for our State. We fear that this recent step taken by Your Excellency further confirms our fears. Since 2007, the Mumuye Man, despite being the majority particularly; in the Northern part of the State and incessantly supporting the ruling party and the successive government of Taraba State, has not had representation in the National Assembly. In the senatorial primaries of the last elections, the PDP denied our son Hon David Kassa ticket despite winning the primaries and again gave it to Shuiabu Lau, the current Senator whose impact we have not felt since his being in the NASS. All these events have made us question our loyalty to PDP and confirmed our fear that the current Government does not care about the security and welfare of the Mumuye Nation and other sister tribes within the Northern Taraba Constituency. The wave of kidnappings, banditry, etc continues to increase in all the hilly parts of Mumuye Nation with no one to bring our concern before the Federal Government through the National Assembly by way of a “Motion of Urgent National Importance”.
Your Excellency, we have heard reliably, that your decision against our son and brother Hon. Innocent Jabayang Umar was made pursuant to a request by the powers that be from Sokoto for you to give the position in question to the PDP candidate and that CAN have acted at your behest to withdraw their support for our brother and declare support to the candidate of the PDP, a Muslim. This is at its least shocking, unacceptable, and a further confirmation that Your Excellency does not have the Mumuye Nation at heart despite the support and solidarity we have shown you.
We have also been reliably informed that Your Excellency’s decision is informed by the fact that The Deputy Governor, Speaker of the House of Assembly, etc are of the Mumuye extraction and therefore, the Mumuye Nation is adequately represented in Your Excellency’s Government. Kindly be informed that all these positions are near appointive position and their holders can be sacked/removed at any time. What we desire and demand is representation at the National Assembly, while we feel we deserve these positions, we would not be unwilling to sacrifice them for a position in the National Assembly in the unlikely event that Your Excellency feels we do not deserve all.
OUR DEMANDS
We state without equivocation that the Mumuye Nation has been patient enough and in these times and seasons, we demand that we be allowed to have a representative at the National Assembly.
We are aware and we know that Your Excellency is also aware that Hon. Innocent Jabayang Umar has squarely won this election. Vox Populi, Vox Dei (the voice of the people is the voice of God). Therefore, we demand the retraction and cessation of all counteracting steps against the popular choice of the people and that you remain neutral as the number one citizen of the State.
May we bring to the attention of your Excellency that, the SDP was an acceptable political party by the Mumuye people in the early 1990s. It was under this political platform that our son Rev. Jolly T. Nyame became Governor of Taraba State. Your Excellency may we also bring to your notice that a Mumuye Man is a Member of the State House of Assembly under this platform of the SDP. As is obvious from the last senatorial election and this bye-election, the SDP is gradually gaining full acceptance again by the Mumuye Nation and this is so because of the continuous denial of the Mumuye man the opportunity to be represented at the National Assembly by the PDP.
In light of the foregoing, kindly note, that if our demands are not met, we will not hesitate to reconsider our hitherto unquestionable support to PDP in future elections.
In conclusion, may we advise Your Excellency not to harken to and be misdirected by a few others who call themselves elders and assume the position of the spokespersons of the Mumuye Nation for the protection of their selfish interest as against the common interest of the majority of us. These are certainly sell-outs and do not speak for the Mumuye Nation particularly the youth who form the majority of lawful and eligible voters.
While thanking you for your time, and trust that Your Excellency is a man of wisdom and will act accordingly, please, accept the assurances of our esteem regards.
Yours faithfully,
Concerned Mumuye Sons
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