By SURU CHARLES
For the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to retain power in Taraba State in the next political dispensation, one of the numerous governorship aspirants, Halkiah Bubajoda Mafindi, has said that it must ensure that all the contestants are given a level play ground.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Trumpet in Jalingo, the state capital, the new Electoral Act (as amended) he said has “improved on our electoral process meaning that the political parties are going to be guided by this law.”
The aspirant who said he sees a “possibility that there will be a level playing field for all aspirants” also claimed to have confidence in the leadership of the party at the state level “at least as at today”. Stressing that “I cannot predict the future or shy away from the fact that the dynamics keep changing” one, as opined by him “can not vouch that the changes can not throw up challenges.”
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“You can only hope that even where there are challenges, the synergy that exists between the stakeholders and the leadership of the party will ensure that the right thing is done.”
He said. Believing that the party has all the needed structures on ground to return power to the state, that , according to him, can only be actualized when internal democracy is allowed to strive.
“On the whole” as made known by him, “I think the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has the responsibility to return power in Taraba state and the best way to do that is to ensure that every aspirant is given the opportunity to do that. Mafindi, who also spoke exclusively on the present security challenges confronting the state, said if given the mandate, Tarabans will be going to beds with their two eyes tenaciously closed.
Citing the recent bomb blasts in the state , which he viewed as the “footprint and Hallmark of terrorism that seems to be the order of the day”the challenge, according to him “has always been that the governors are constrained by the Nigerian structure because as Chief Executives of their respective states, they have no control over the security agencies operating in their domains and they are unable to grapple with the situation.”
Admitting that he sees that as a challenge, he quickly accepted that “but there is a window of opportunity that exist which is a home grown security establishment.” “When there is a synergy between the security agencies and the subnationals” he believed “they can operate more effectively” adding that “We have seen states that have collaborated with these agencies and have enabled them to be more proactive and effective by providing logistical aids to them.”
