Speaking to journalists recently, GNS Pwajok, the PDP governorship flag bearer in Plateau State, said categorically that his chances of becoming the governor of the state are as bright as the promises of God. It must be noted that that statement was inspired by the overwhelming indices and body language in the state in relation to his emergence at the primaries. For a long time, the electorate has realized that the future of the state depends largely on the innovative disposition of its leaders. The Plateau State of today, as is the case in many serious democracies, is set for a generational shift devoid of all the trivialities of ethnicity, religion and tribe.
Pwajok represents a new world order as long as the political cosmology of the state is concerned. His energy and intellect are much needed to sustain the redemption drive with the futuristic goal of making Plateau State the hub of Nigeria’s agricultural and tourism excellence. He has continued to dutifully understudy the leadership and policy thrust of the incumbent governor, Jonah David Jang, who in spite of the socio-political and economic challenges fuelled by the series of ethno-sectarian crises his administration witnessed has managed to navigate the state towards redemption. We will all agree that investments both local and foreign suffered a major blow as a result of those crises and yet, the outgoing governor was able to muster the political fortitude to keep hope alive with a meticulous approach to the management of state resources while also ensuring that infrastructural development received commendable attention. Given the prevailing socio-political circumstances that existed in his tenure, Governor Jonah Jang cannot be said to have performed poorly.
While Pwajok is busy engaging the minds of the electorate with those issues that his administration will face headlong when elected governor, those on the other side, who for one reason or the other have decided to kick against his candidacy, are caught up in an ignoble web of baseless and empty vituperations full of sound and fury and signifying nothing. One must commend the campaign team of the Pwajok which has been consistent in using the robust Nigerian media to reach out to wide audiences across and beyond the state to showcase the leadership qualities and potentials of the hardworking, focused, result-oriented and patriotic Nigerian whose passion for excellence in governance is beyond dispute. Senator Pwajok is arguably the most profiled PDP governorship flag bearer in the whole of northern Nigeria and this reality speaks volumes about the strategic need to leave the electorate to make their voting decisions based on what they can see, feel and hear. There are not many political calculations that can be this fair and unprejudiced even when we consider African democracy as a case study.
In an era when Africa is in dire need of leaders and idea vendors who can effectively stand out and change the already battered perceptions of the continent, especially in western eyes, the passion to serve the people and the proven capacity to innovatively instigate development and positive change become cardinal ingredients that must be sought after in leaders and aspiring leaders who crave government positions.
The odds, no matter how sophisticated they appear, favour Pwajok. It is of imperative importance to note that Plateau State, in its characteristic nature, remains a PDP state. All political permutations that suggest a radical departure from the foregoing are further rubbished by the fact that its closest rival, the APC, is unlikely to create any upsets. This is owing largely to the fact that the good people of the state would never allow the affairs of their darling state to be remote-controlled from the south west by one individual.
The burden of leadership on the Plateau is therefore a matter of “who the cap fits, let him wear it”. For the first time in the history of the state, we are seeing a governorship flag bearer who has included persons from different tribes and religions in his campaign team. This singular attitude smacks of the highest level of patriotism, equity and undiluted nationalism. In most of his campaign speeches, Pwajok has repeatedly stated that the Plateau Project is an all-inclusive one that reaches out to all those who are in possession of cutting-edge and innovative ideas that will move the state ahead. The Greater Together paradigm is therefore a novel concept that seeks to take governance beyond the corridors of political power to the bright, lofty and even though lowly worlds of the downtrodden masses who only need to dare, to dream big and to impact positively on their environments through hard work and value-oriented enterprise.
Come May 29, 2015, a new epoch beckons on the plateau. From the potato farms of Bokkos to the corn fields of Barkin Ladi, the showers of peace shall begin to irrigate the minds of men and women in the state. The seeds of hate and the divisive clogs in the wheels of its progress shall cease to exist. The passion for collective greatness shall dominate the psyches of all persons in the state and for the very first time in a long while, becoming greater together will become institutionalized as a manifestation of God’s promise to a people who, like the biblical Israelites, have been through a lot of trials designed by fate to strengthen them and their generations unborn. And Pwajok is the Moses!
PATRICK IWELUNMOR
