Dariye’s Structure Behind Attempts To Snatch Guber Ticket — Margif

• Genesis Of My Travails With Dr. Dakum

Ambassador Yohana Yilpwan Margif is the Plateau State gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party ( LP). In this interview with LEO SOBECHI, he traces the genesis of the struggle for the party’s ticket, saying that Dr. Patrick Dakwon wants to climb on Senator Joshua Dariye’s political structure to displace him.

What is your take on the stories going around and machination regarding your candidacy of Labour Party in Plateau State?

WELL, you see, the truth of the matter is, when you are on the right path, you don’t have problem. I am so happy even with the intervention of the media, it has put light on what has actually happened and I am so happy.

When you came into Labour Party, it was not popular, now how do you feel about the party and your aspiration to govern Plateau State?

Yes, you know, the party itself, it is members of the party that will make a party popular. I came to Labour Party not because of anybody, I came with a lot of resources and Labour Party was empty.

The day I entered Labour Party and since I was having a lot of resources, I have to put in my wealth, I started encouraging a lot of people to join forces with me to make the party thick. By the grace of God, the Labour Party have come to limelight and I am happy that a lot of people have come in.

I even came into the party before the presidential candidate and that also helped to make the party more popular. And, his ( Obi’s) coming was even a prayer answered, because I prayed that people like Peter Obi should come in. And with him now as my presidential candidate, I am so happy.

You played certain roles during the administration of Senator Joshua Dariye, where do you stand with him now politically?

Of course, I served under Joshua Dariye very well. I carried out my duties to the best my knowledge down to the end of his tenure. But, today Joshua Dariye is not a member of the Labour Party, he is a member of APC ( All Progressives Congress), so I don’t know his position today.

But, I hear rumours going round, and I can see his hands supporting Dr. Patrick Dakum. I am surprised, because politics is, people have diverse interests, I don’t know his interest and I don’t know his reason for supporting Patrick Dakum, who has just come into Labour Party, while he is still in the APC.

When last did you speak with Senator Dariye?

I spoke last with Sen. Dariye, when I visited him, when he invited me, when I called him as one of our chieftaincy holder and one of our seniors from our chiefdom. It was when I told him I won the Labour Party gubernatorial primary, so I went there to tell him the good news.

And it was on that day that he opened up to me how he wished I should join hands with Patrick Dakum. But, that day I told him that this Patrick Dakum you are talking about is in APC, he contested the primary in APC and he came second, how can I now join hands with somebody who is in APC? I told him that I joined this race to win election, not to relinquish the ticket to anybody. I think that could be the starting point of my problem with him.

What special position do you think Patrick Dakum occupies in the heart of Dariye or Plateau State that the former governor want to make him the governorship candidate?

Well, you know politicians. We have different types of politicians. We have some politicians that are being induced by others. Like me now, I am trying to do away with politics of godfatherism; I don’t want anybody to dictate anything to me. If you are called by God to serve your people, you don’t need anybody to influence you.

That could be the reason why Dakum is hiding under the influence of Joshua Dariye and of course, Joshua Dariye already has laid down political structures, so he wants to use that as an advantage.

There have been back channels bargains when making people governors, with a new momentum in Labour Party, young people saying never again to old politics; what are the guarantees that you will not disappoint young people and Nigerians who yearn for a better approach to democracy?

If you see my party slogan, I tagged it set time for good governance. There is never a dispensation that youths have come out en masse to throw support behind a candidate the way it is today. It is divine arrangement, a divine time.

And, by the grace of God, at my age today, I am in- between the youth and the elders, so at this age now, if I don’t do the things that the youths will be happy, they will not be happy with me or the elders will not be happy with me. Then, I will be betraying both the youths and the elders, so, where will I belong?

Why did you decide to contest for the governorship of Plateau State?

I joined Labour Party, contested the governorship primary election successfully. I was issued with certificate of return and I have been on ground campaigning against the forthcoming election as the candidate of the party.

After scaling through the primaries, I started going round contacting other aspirants from other political parties, who felt aggrieved or lost their party primaries. A lot of them approached me and complained about the injustice in their parties. They said they want to come and join me in Labour Party.

I told them that my door is widely open in Labour Party 24hours. So, some of them I meet them in their houses, while some came to meet me.

Among all these people, one of them that even came last was Patrick Dakum. Before he came to me, he sent delegations of about three groups of people, who came to ask me whether I can negotiate with their principal, who was by then still a member of APC and he was still among the aggrieved aspirants that lost APC primaries.

The group that first came, I asked them where is Patrick Dakum, they told me he was abroad. I told them when he comes I want to sit with him, because this ticket is in my hands and as an individual, I cannot move this ticket alone to victory. That I would like to have other people to come and join me so that we move the ticket together, campaign together and build a formidable force for us to cruise to victory.

So, on the day he came, Dakum asked me where we can meet and I asked him to come to Apo Shoprite. T hank God, that day I was not alone. I was with some elders, even though the meeting was in an open space, I sat with him there and he told me that he was actually the one that sent those groups to meet me for negotiation and see if I can relinquish the ticket. He said he knows quite alright that I have spent a lot of money and that he is ready to compensate me, whatever expenses that I have incurred, he will reimburse me all the monies.

I told him no, that I joined the race to win election, so that God will make me the governor of Plateau State and that I want to serve my people not to relinquish it for money or for anything.

He said he came to me, that of course he wanted me to be part of the movement, he wants to be the messiah, while I should be the John the Baptist. I now told him, doctor, I am already seated on the seat of the messiah, because the ticket is in my name, as such, he should be the John the Baptist. And, by the way, that you are still in APC and need to go and join Labour Party first.

Did he agree to join Labour Party or insist on having the governorship ticket first?

That day he told me he was already making arrangement, that he had even called his ward chairman informing him about his plan to join Labour Party. That was in seven days’ time as of the day we had that meeting.

So that day, we ended up with prayers and he said he was going to pray over it and then decide on what to do, whether to join me or to declare his intention to leave APC to come back to Labour Party. It was on that note that the meeting ended that day.

I was expecting that after that meeting he would call me for another meeting to discuss whether he is coming to join me, because political race is like a team of football, one player cannot form a team. If he comes on board, there are so many windows of opportunities.

Margif