2019: Why Gov Ishaku is afraid of me – Nyame

A former Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Taraba State, Mr. Godwin Nyame has said the poor performance of Governor Darius Ishaku and the clamour for him (Nyame) to take over in 2019 is making the governor jittery.

Nyame who disclosed this to journalists in Jalingo on Monday said the desperation of the governor to bury him down politically has rather catapulted him as he was enjoying more and more support from people within and outside the state.

“I was to be turbaned as the TAFIDAN ZING last Saturday, but on Friday at the eve of the turbaning ceremony, the Kpanti Zing called me in the presence of the local government chairman and the president of Mumuye Cultural Association and informed me that the governor has asked him to step down my name.

“When I asked for the reason, the Chief told me that the governor said I was nursing a governorship ambition and so I am his enemy. It’s so funny for a governor to descend so low to meddle in matters of chieftaincy.

“I have the right under the constitution to contest for governor or even president of this country. Though time has not yet come, the people are putting pressure on me to contest for governor and God’s willing I will chase Ishaku out of government house in 2019,” he said.

On why he think the people were mounting pressure on him to contest the governorship seat on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Godwin a younger brother of the former governor of the state, Rev. Jolly Nyame said the simple reason was that there was no governance in the state.

“This is the worst government we had in Taraba since the creation of the state. The state government is not paying salaries of teachers and local government staff are crying when a lot of money is coming to Taraba.

“There are no projects going on in the state. Look at what is happening in the neighbouring Adamawa state. The governor there is working despite insurgency threatening the state. So, Tarabans should gear up and vote for me to restore the status quo when the time comes.”

But in a swift reaction, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Sylvanus Giwa dismissed the allegation, saying the governor cannot come down so low to involve himself in such petty issues.

According to him the governor has serious state matters to attend to and would not want to be distracted by petty issues.

The Kpanti Zing, Alhaji Suleiman Sambo could not be reached at the time of filing this report, but the chairman of the planning committee of the event, Elder Pius Damba told journalists that nothing of such happened and warned that the Kpanti Zing should not be dragged into politics.