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• Pledges to unify Plateau people
From: Jude Owuamanam, Jos
The gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Plateau State, Brig. Gen John Sura (retd), has identified ethnic and religious rivalries as the main drivers of the sectarian strife in Plateau State.
Sura, who spoke with newsmen in Jos yesterday, said that his first priority if elected into office would be to unify the people and end the circle of violence in the state.
He said that he’ll use the experiences he gathered while on a peace mission in Darfur, Sudan, to unite all the tribes and competing interests in the state in order to achieve a peaceful Plateau.
The gubernatorial candidate also expressed optimism that ADC will be on the ballot next year from the presidential to House of Assembly elections, describing all the current happenings in the party as a storm in a tea cup.
He said that he will be running for a term so as not to truncate the zoning arrangements in Plateau politics.
“We were part of the second set of military observers that were sent to Darfur when the crisis started, and it was in between two tribes, the Black Arabs and the White Arabs. I was in charge of civil-military cooperation, and I was interfacing with all the tribes and I know how we managed the ethnic wrangling between the two.
“I studied the behaviour of internal wrangling there and it’s the same thing happening here; ethnic and religious cleavages here and there. So, leveraging on my military experiences, I will be able to bring the whole of Plateau together
“There are structures which I will be building on like , the peace-building committee, the reports of various commissions on the Plateau. We will have no sleep until we eradicate crises on the Plateau
“We will constitute a leaders committee to find out why there are failures in leadership. We will vest authorities on local leaders to be able to resolve local issues. We have a lot to do to restore confidence among the tribes and nationalities on the Plateau,” he said.
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He reiterated that he was not running to overturn the zoning arrangement in the state but rather to complete Plateau Central’s final four years’ tenure.
“And I know I’am only going for one term. It’s a matter of understanding what to do and making goals for yourself. I know what Plateau’s problem is today. The first one is the insecurity; one key element is that the challenges have both internal and external dimensions,” he stated.
He described zoning as sacred and must be strictly adhered to, stressing that any attempt to rock the boat or scuttle it will have serious consequences and will be entirely rejected by the people of the state.
He said that any focused leader does not require a lengthy period to achieve his aim as much as he had his agenda.
“It has been agreed that each zone must serve two terms of eight years; therefore, I am not contesting to rock the boat or undermine the zoning arrangement on the ground. The zoning was devised to make things easier. As of today the zone that will take over in 2031 has started warming up.
“Any attempt to truncate the arrangement would cause a lot of damage to me in terms of integrity. So, if I win the election, four years will be ample time for me to make an impact and lay a firm foundation for the state and for future generations to build on. So I ask the people of Plateau State to take me at my word.”
The gubernatorial candidate who assured that ADC will be on the ballot next year from the presidential to House of Assembly elections stated that what is happening now is just a passing storm.
“Plateau State is experiencing a leadership failure. It is time for a true leader to emerge. The state at the moment needs someone who will think and work for the state. If I win the election, leaders on all levels will be carried along, so I believe it is time to restore Plateau State’s lost glory.”
The ADC gubernatorial candidate, accused the present administration of not making significant progress in the last two years.
He said that after he left PDP and APC, he settled for ADC, which he described as the only party that would bring the desired change in Plateau state, adding that the ADC has nothing to fear in Plateau State’s governorship elections:in 2027.
