NYAME TASKS TARABA ASPIRANTS ON TRANSPARENT PRIMARIES

FORMER Taraba State governor, Rev. Jolly Nyame, has implored all governorship aspirants in the state irrespective of political parties, to ensure hitch-free primaries.

This, he said, would pave way for the much-needed change in the leadership of the state come 2011, which the teeming populace has been yearning for.

Flanked by all the governorship aspirants from all the registered political parties in the state on the occasion of his 55th birthday at his residence in Jalingo, the state capital, he said change would only come when they collectively ensure the emergence of credible candidates in their various parties.

'I know there are aspirants from different political parties. All I want to pray for is that God should give us the opportunity and the ability for all the political parties to have peaceful primaries.

'If all the political parties have peaceful primaries, I actually intend to bring all the candidates together because they would no longer be aspirants. I intend that one of people you are seeing now will take over the mantle of leadership in Taraba State come 2011', he said.

Apart from the incumbent governor, Danbaba Suntai, governorship aspirants from parties, which include those from the Action Congress of Nigerian (ACN) and the entire aspirants from the ruling PDP, were in attendance.

Other dignitaries who were seen hovering around the former governor included all the erstwhile speakers of the state House of Assembly, National Assembly members from the state and past council chairmen, to mention just a few.

Unlike some political godfathers, Nyame has not anointed any of the aspirants for the juicy job, but is also ready to drum support for any of them who emerges at the party's primaries.

'They are all my political associates. These are people who have worked with me either directly or indirectly. All I want is for the political parties to have clean primaries.

'When they have clean primaries, we will all come together. And I am sure a consensus candidate would just emerge'.

The former governor whose name featured in the list of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as one of those not liable to contest the election, lampooned the agency, saying: 'You and I know that the EFCC has no power to stop anybody from contesting election'.