Darius Ishaku: wins PDP Taraba governorship candidate

The former Minister of State for Niger Delta, Mr Darius Ishaku, has won the Taraba State governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He is the second minister of the seven that resigned from the Jonathan administration that survived the governorship primaries in the states. He joined Nyesom Wike, former minister of state for education, who snatched the ticket in Rivers State.

Other former ministers such as Emeka Wogu, Labaran Maku, Onyebuchi Chukwu, Musiliu Obanikoro, and Samuel Ortom all lost out in their states’ governorship primaries.

Ishaku emerged the winner at the end of the election conducted at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja.

The election which started on Thursday ended in the early hours of Friday.

The primary election was delayed for about five days, following a controversy over the zoning of the governorship position and the list of delegates.

Taraba PDP leaders and stakeholders had on Dec. 8 informed the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, of an agreement signed in 2011.

According to them, PDP leaders in the state agreed that Taraba South Senatorial District would produce the governorship candidate for the 2015 elections.

Taraba North has served for 10 years while Taraba Central, where the incumbent Gov. Dambaba Suntai hails from, will complete eight years in power in 2015.

Muazu had, at the meeting, directed Taraba PDP leaders to submit to the party’s national leadership, a copy of the minute, where the agreement and resolution was reached.

He had assured that the leadership would respect the decision of Taraba people.

“ Zoning is local; if the people of Taraba want it, so be it.’’ He said.

Following this development, a former Acting Governor of Taraba, Alhaji Garba Umar, and another aspirant, Musa John, withdrew from the race.

Ishaku, who was largely seen as a consensus candidate, hails from Takum Local Government Area, the same area with the influential and rich Taraban, Lt. General Theophilus Danjuma