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Minority tribes in the Plateau North senatorial zone have expressed misgivings that, despite their contributions to the growth and development of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the zone, they were still being schemed out of things in the party.
The Plateau North senatorial district is made up of Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Jos East, Jos North, Jos South and Riyom Local Government Areas, while minority tribes are found in Bassa, Jos East, Jos North and the Ibaas and Ganawuri communities of Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas, respectively.
The majority Berom tribe is found in the Barkin Ladi, Jos South, Jos North and Riyom local government areas of the state.
The concerns of the minority tribes were conveyed at a press briefing on Thursday through a pressure group, the Plateau North Equity Project (PNEP), at the NUJ Press Centre in Jos.
Evangelist Arum Daniel Izang, who spoke on behalf of the group, said that even though minority tribes contributed substantially to the voting bloc in the zone, they were constantly marginalised in appointments and elective offices.
Izang said that the minority tribes had been committed to promoting an equitable, fair and just balance of power across the six local government areas of the zone. Still, for too long, leadership positions had been concentrated in one dominant tribe in Plateau North.
The group said, “APC emerged as a formidable political force in Plateau State following the struggle to preserve the rotational governorship arrangement in 2015.
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“For many people in Plateau State, particularly the minority ethnic nationalities of Plateau North, the APC represented a platform for equity, fairness, justice, and inclusiveness.
“Even when the party’s policies and programmes became increasingly difficult to market due to persistent narratives portraying the APC as a ‘Janjaweed party’, the minority ethnic nationalities of Plateau North remained steadfast in their loyalty to the APC.
“This unwavering support stood in stark contrast to the attitude of the numerically advantaged ethnic community in the zone, who kept a distance from the APC and have continued to do so.”
PNEP said that available records from the electoral umpire had consistently shown that “a significant proportion of the party’s electoral strength in Plateau North has come from the minority ethnic communities, yet political reward and key positions were often ceded to members of the demographically dominant community.”
They cited the example of the chairmanship position and the senatorial candidacy for the 2027 election, which naturally should have been ceded to the minority tribes, yet the dominant group got the positions.
They expressed fears that, as preparations began for the 2027 general elections, it appeared that the same scenario was about to repeat itself.
PNEP called for fairness in the distribution of political offices to reflect their contributions to the party.
