SDP Governorship Campaign Train Storm Southern Taraba.
Takum town stood still for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in the rescheduled April 11th, 2015 general election for Taraba State, Chief David Sabo Kente when he stormed the area with his campaign train.
Chief David Sabo Kente took his campaign tour to the Southern Senatorial Zone recently, beginning with Takum Local Government Area in continuation of his ongoing campaign mission to intimate Taraba people on the need for a change of government that would take the state to the next level.
The campaign train thereafter, visited Ussa, Yangtu Development Area, Donga and Ibi Local Government Areas of the state respectively preaching the message of peaceful co-existence, reconciliation and reconstruction of a new Taraba under his administration if given the mandate as governor of the state in the next political dispensation.
Addressing thousands of supporters at Rimi Primary School play ground, Chief Kente who told them that his decision to answer their clarion call became necessary, having observed the absence of adequate social infrastructural amenities in the state by past administrations despite abundant natural endowment also lamented the level of poverty which has made it such that an average Taraba indigene could no longer afford food on his/her table, arguing that urgent steps needed to be taken to address the anomalies.
The SDP governorship candidate told the people that if voted as governor, he would use his international connections to woe investors to Taraba State that would establish companies in the state, maintaining that this would create jobs for the teaming unemployed youths of the state.
He also promised to build and equip cottage hospitals as a way of boosting community health facilities as well as embark on massive construction of roads to open up the area for businesses.
Chief Kente also assured the people of Takum that the issue of their traditional ruler, the Kwe of Takum that had been pending for years since the demise of late Kwe in 1996, would also be resolved during his administration.
At Ussa Local Government Area, thousands of supporters and well-wishers abandoned their farm activities, businesses and other engagements for the day to line up by the road side for hours waiting to catch a glimpse of the Philanthropist turned politician, Chief David Sabo Kente who most people were seeing for the first time in their life; the SDP governorship hopeful while addressing the large crowd at a rally, assured them that his government, if voted into power would provide water, and embark on massive constructions of roads across the state within the first three months of his administration and as well create jobs for young graduates that have remained without any job over the years.
The SDP governorship flag bearer while addressing a mammoth crowd at Yangtu Development Area, promised the people that the Taraba state government under his leadership shall upgrade the Yangtu Development Area to a full fledged local government status, assuring that all the staff currently working under the development area would be absorbed into the main system as permanent and pensionable staff.
He also disclosed that in an event where government bottlenecks would not warrant the speedy implementation of the lofty idea, Yangtu Development Area would be merged with a substantive local government area to enable the people also enjoy all the privileges of an LGA under the SDP government.
Chief Kente who later addressed supporters at Donga and Ibi, assured his supporters and other people of the areas that apart from initiating programmes that would create youth/women empowerment as well as improving the infrastructural base of the state to improve the living standard of the people, stressed that his administration would emphasize on the need for peace building and conflict resolution among the people for cordial existence, bearing in mind that peace is the only panacea to development in all ramifications.
During the Southern Zonal campaign rallies, the governorship hopeful paid courtesy visits on Gara Donga – HRH Dr. Stephen Danjuma Sani, Sarkin Ibi, Mai Martaba – Alhaji Abubakar Salihu Dan Bawuro 111, Kwe Lissam Ussa, Kwe Danjuma Kiji and Sarkin Hausawa – Takum, where he sought for their royal blessings and prayers for his governorship ambition.
In their separate responses, all the traditional rulers advised the SDP flag bearer to conduct his campaigns in a peaceful manner, eschew politics of bitterness as well as tolerate others even at the slightest provocation, adding that it should not be considered a 'do or die' affair.
In his remarks during the rallies, the state Chairman of the SDP Mr. Peter Achagwa told the people that SDP has come to address the injustice done to the people of the state in the past and called on all Tarabans to continue to give support to the party and also vote SDP and its candidates in all the elections, promising that SDP would guarantee good governance to Tarabans.
The Director General, Chief David Sabo Kente Campaign Organization, Alhaji A.A Ibrahim urged the people of Taraba state to vote for SDP and its governorship candidate as well as all other contestants of the party for the attainment of abundant dividends of democracy.
The Chief Press Secretary to the governorship hopeful, Mr. Henry Ibya said, the SDP Chairman for Ussa Local Government Area, Mr. Jacob Afeyip and Abel Tenyang of Yangtu Development Area as well as others in their earlier remarks assured the governorship hopeful and the party hierarchy that Southern Taraba, apart from being the home town of the governorship candidate, the people had resolved to vote for him enmasse, recalling that his achievements in the areas of youth and women empowerment, provision of scholarships/bursary awards, poverty alleviation programmes, employment to youths as well as other humanitarian services to the less privileged members of the society over the years, through the DSK Foundation scheme, would speak volume of sacrifices for him.