2019: Tarok Nation Endorses Senator Victor Lar For Governor

From Yakubu Busari in Jos

Senator Lar

 

Following a painstaking deliberation by a governorship selection committee comprising various Tarok groups under the chairmanship of Air Marshal Jonah Wuyep (rtd), with Barrister Jilli Dandam, ex-Unijos Registrar as the committee Secretary, Senator Victor Lar has been picked as the groups candidate.

He came out top, edging out his fellow PDP aspirants of Tarok extraction in the persons of Gen. Jeremiah T Useni, Engr Jimmy Cheto, Engr Ponyak Ibrahim, Arc Nanchang Jatau and Hon. Nandom Pyennap.

The Tarok governorship hopefuls had earlier signed an undertaking to abide by the outcome of the consensus and throw their weights behind anyone of them that emerges victorious.

Membership of the Consensus Committee included Chiefs James Shedul, Lipdo Zwalwap and Kotur Godfrey Miri, representing Abuja, Pankshin and Shendam branches respectively, while Mr David Dashe and Pastor Doman Batur represented the national body of the committee.

Other members of the committee were Mrs Jocelyn Galam who represented Women Wing and Mrs Rahab Noma who represented Nwang Ishi Ocha Tarok, with Rev. Seth Nden represented the clergy in the committee. Air Marshal JD Wuyep and Barr Jilli Dandam, the committee Chairman and Secretary respectively, represented the Tarok Elders Forum alongside Mr Paul T. Chumle. Other group was represented in the committee by its President, Engr Lohnan Samson and Barr Zulfa Rimven.

Sen. Victor Lar polled 988, representing 76.777 percent, followed by Gen. JT Useni who polled 920 representing 70.77 per cent, amongst others. The consensus was not restricted to PDP, as Tarok aspirants of different parties were also included.

Some Tarok elders who were not happy with the outcome of the consensus, ostensibly rooting for a particular candidate within their age brackets, are frantically moving to subvert the agreement reached, but some dogged members of the committee refused to give in to pressure to manipulate the outcome in favour of their preferred choice.

One of the committee members who spoke on condition of anonymity, said chief among the criteria used in arriving at the consensus is the acceptability of the various aspirants within the state and their political networks within the 17 local government areas in the state among others.

Tarok people are found predominantly in Langtang North and Langtang South LGA in the state