The Imperative of Considering Chief David Sabo Kente in the Face of Governor Kefas’s Defection Ploy
In the swirling vortex of Nigerian politics, where alliances shift like desert sands and ambitions clash under the banner of “unity,” Taraba State’s All Progressives Congress (APC) stands at a precarious crossroads.
Governor Agbu Kefas’s rumored defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC—complete with a cadre of PDP defectors eyeing automatic tickets for 2027—promises not consolidation, but chaos.
This maneuver, shrouded in the guise of strategic realignment, risks igniting a full-blown crisis within the APC ranks.
At the heart of this turmoil is a simple yet profound question: How does a party honor its architects, its financiers, and its unyielding faithful without succumbing to the “grab mentality” of latecomers?
The answer lies in elevating voices like that of Chief David Sabo Kente (DSK), a colossus of Taraba politics whose contributions demand not just consideration, but centrality in the party’s future.
The Brewing Crisis: Kefas’s Defection as a Double-Edged Sword
Governor Kefas’s potential leap to the APC is no mere footnote; it’s a seismic event that could reshape Taraba’s political landscape.
Reports indicate that this defection, slated before year’s end, involves a “sharing formula” doling out automatic tickets to PDP stalwarts, including senators and House members.
Proponents frame it as a masterstroke for APC dominance in 2027, neutralizing opposition and bolstering the party’s war chest.
Yet, beneath the surface, this plan simmers with peril. Long-time APC loyalists, who weathered the party’s lean years through personal sacrifice, now face the specter of being sidelined by newcomers wielding the club of “solidarity.”
The crisis is not hypothetical—it’s palpable. APC chieftains like Dauda Bello have sounded the alarm: “We have people like David Sabo Kente… who sustained this party with their resources for years. If Kefas joins now and takes over, it will definitely cause a crisis.”
This isn’t sour grapes; it’s a clarion call against the erosion of meritocracy. Kefas’s entry, if unvetted by democratic rigor, could fracture the party along fault lines of resentment, alienating the grassroots faithful who view the APC as their hard-earned fortress, not a free-for-all bazaar.
Chief David Kente: The Embodiment of APC’s Enduring Spirit
Enter Chief David Sabo Kente, a man whose name evokes not just political heft, but moral authority.
As a financier, philanthropist, and unifier, Kente has been the APC’s quiet engine in Taraba. From bankrolling campaigns out of his personal purse during the lean 2010s—when the party was a fledgling dream—to championing inter-ethnic harmony and equitable development via his role on the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Kente’s ledger of service is unimpeachable.
He didn’t join the APC for spoils; he built it with sweat and substance, transforming it from a regional whisper into a contender that nearly clinched the governorship in 2023.
Kente’s credentials scream for consideration in any 2027 primaries. He is no carpetbagger; he is the bridge-builder, the “sceptre of leadership” as recent tributes hail him, a movement of “hope, compassion, and progress” aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
His advocacy for education, community upliftment, and party unity transcends ethnic divides in a state as diverse as Taraba.
Why, then, should the APC entertain a scenario where such a figure is relegated to the shadows?
Considering Kente isn’t favoritism—it’s fidelity to the party’s DNA. He represents the Taraba APC’s soul: resilient, resourceful, and rooted.
Open Primaries: The Antidote to Grab Mentality and Automatic Entitlements
The path forward is clear, and Kente himself has charted it with wisdom: an open, direct primary where the will of party members prevails. “Whoever emerges should depend on the interplay of forces and the will of party members,” Kente recently asserted, urging dialogue over diktat.
This isn’t a plea for exclusion; it’s a blueprint for inclusion. Automatic tickets for defectors? A non-starter. Such handouts reward opportunism, not loyalty, and invite the very “grab mentality” that doomed the APC’s 2023 bid.
Kefas and his entourage should not harbor illusions of waltzing in with preordained prizes; they must earn their place on the ballot, just as Kente did through years of unheralded toil.
Taraba APC must resist the temptation to cloak this influx in the rhetoric of “consolidation.”
True solidarity doesn’t upset the ambitions of party faithful—it amplifies them.
An open primary ensures transparency, levels the field, and inoculates against internal implosion.
Sideline Kente and his ilk at your peril; they are not relics to be discarded but pillars to be propped up.
As Kente cautioned, defectors must shed any notion of conquest: “What is required now is dialogue and unity to win this election.”
A Call to President Tinubu: Safeguard the Faithful, Secure the Victory
President Tinubu, the APC’s grand architect, must heed this moment. His Renewed Hope Agenda thrives on rewarding builders, not bandits.
Appreciating contributions like Kente’s—through endorsement of fair primaries and protection of loyalists—would reaffirm the party’s ethos.
Allowing a “just-entered governor” to disarrange the Taraba machinery risks a domino effect: disillusioned funders withdrawing support, fractured voter bases, and a 2027 loss etched in regret.
Tinubu’s intervention, subtle yet firm, could transform potential crisis into a masterclass in inclusive governance.
In sum, Chief David Kente’s consideration isn’t optional—it’s obligatory for Taraba APC’s survival and success.
Let open primaries be the litmus test, banish the grabbers’ illusions, and listen to the man who funded the fight when others fled.
Only then can the party emerge not just victorious, but virtuous. Taraba’s future demands no less.
Pamela O. writes from Abuja.
