All attention has been on the fierce battle between the incumbent president of the Federal republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan and his toughest opponent, General Muhammadu Buhari going into the March 28 elections.
However, what many Nigerians are probably guilty of, is failing to realize that March 28 will not only see a clash of two strong political leaders in President Jonathan and General Buhari, but will also witness more intense battles across the nation as the House of Representatives and Senate election take centre stage that same day.
With this, one area that has caught my attention will be the Plateau North senatorial battle which sees the incumbent Governor of the state, Jonah Jang and Mrs Eunice Ayisa Sambo at loggerheads for the ultimate prize (a ticket to the senate).
One key thing in this battle is that, history beckons both the 71-year old incumbent Governor of Plateau state, Jonah Jang and Mrs Eunice Ayisa Sambo, come March 28, 2015.
If Jonah Jang who is contesting under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wins, he would be making history as the first governor from the zone to represent his people at the Senate while on the other hand if Mrs Eunice Sambo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) wins, she would not only have the record as the first female senator from the state but also the first lady to beat an incumbent governor to the seat.
Interesting right? But that’s not all! What is even more intriguing is that, both are vying for the position for the first time.
But come to think of it, Governor Jang is 71 and yet Governor Ayo Fayose believes that the APC presidential candidate, General Buhari (72) is too old to rule this nation. However, this is a topic for another day.
Going back to the main focus, Plateau North senatorial election is one race that needs to be monitored because whichever way the pendulum swings at the poll, any of the two candidates can have their names written in the history books at the end of the elections.
APC Plateau north senatorial candidate, Mrs Eunice Ayisa Sambo looking positive going into the election with a ravishing smile.
However many have played down the APC candidate, Mrs Sambo chances of winning as she goes into the tie as the underdog.
Comparing Mrs Sambo to Governor Jang is like comparing a David to a Goliath (but we all know the outcome of this battle).
Again, comparing both candidates is like comparing an Elephant to an Ant. This is owing to the fact that very little is known of the APC candidate, who is barely a few months in politics unlike Governor Jang whose name rings a bell both within and outside the state.
However, this isn’t going to stop the APC candidate as she has continued to express full confidence of victory come March 28. The APC candidate may cause a major upset during the poll, despite the odds against her but how this will play out, eventually remains to be seen.
With 16-years difference in-between the ages of Governor Jang of Plateau (71years) and Mrs Eunice Sambo (55years) and 30years difference in-between the political background of both candidates (Jonah Jang occupied his 1st governmental position during the General Ibrahim Babaginda’s regime in 1985 when he became the Military governor of Benue state while Mrs Sambo is running for her 1stgovernmental position in 2015 as a senator), it is pretty much an onerous task that lies ahead of the APC candidate.
Sambo, from Jos East Local Government Area, emerged as the APC candidate during the party primaries after an aspirant withdrew from the race leaving her and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon.Lumumba Da Adeh, to slug it out.
With her victory at the primaries, Sambo is going into the main election with 30 years’ experience as a social worker and a community developer, part of which she spent over ten years in the United Kingdom before she finally returned to the country in 2010
Also with two diploma certificates in Social Work for Development and Social Planning and Development, from the University of Jos and London School of Economics respectively, Mrs Sambo, who also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social and Professional Studies from Humberside University, London, is optimistic that she will emerge victorious at the poll any time it is conducted.
Excerpts from a recent interview granted by Mrs Sambo to the press, solidifies the fact that optimism is written all over her, heading to the election.
READ ALSO: FOCUS: Remi Shonaiya
She said: “I know this is a David and Goliath battle. Yes, I may be small but we know that David won the battle, and I know that I, Eunice Ayisa Sambo, will defeat the Goliath during the forthcoming Plateau North senatorial election”.
She continued: “His incumbency doesn’t intimidate me. I am a Nigerian, it is our constitutional right to contest and I am exercising my constitutional right. I feel very optimistic, very positive that this election is winnable, we can win this election because we are going round and we are listening to what people are saying. Not only that, we see what is happening on the Plateau; the injustice, the impunity. That is what is driving our passion to run this race, because people have been badly treated on the Plateau. Is it the lack of salary, the lack of employment, the impunity is just so enormous. This is a democratic system of government, not a dictatorship. You are not allowed to express your wish, there hasn’t been fairness in the way government has run office, the nepotism is chronic. These are all the things that we are fighting. The fact that he is an incumbent doesn’t mean that we can’t stand up to him and I am excited about this journey because his right will speak for him, his wrong will speak for him. I am new in the race but I am not intimidated by his incumbency. Everybody started at different points and I am happy to start from where I am but you know what? I am an underdog in politics, if you go through history, it is the underdogs that make a difference and we don’t have any doubt that we will win this election. Bauchi State has set precedence, the senator in Bauchi State contested against an incumbent, and he was an underdog. He won the election against an incumbent so i think that such history will repeat itself on the Plateau very easily”.
Will it be Jonah Jang or Eunice Ayisa Sambo for senate 2015 Plateau north? Time will certainly!
Follow NAIJ.COM on Twitter!
JiJi.ng – Sell phones, cars, clothes, furniture to real people
Write review and get real money – Tips.naij.com
No comments:
Post a Comment