UNSOLVED ELECTIVE LEADERSHIP PROBLEMS IN JOS-NORTH AND THE FATE OF HAUSA/FULANI CHAIRMANSHIP

By: Valentine Adese (JP),

Jos city is in Jos-North Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State and the city doubles as the capital of the state.

The city in the past decade has been engulfed in political leadership tussle and crises that has taken hundreds of lives and destroyed properties worth millions of Nairas.

History already has it that, the worst time the city of Jos was hit with huge deaths arising from political and ethno-religious conflicts was in September, 2001.

Since that crisis, that took the lives of many, while displacing hundreds, the unity of the city became shattered, owing to lack of trust among the residents.

While some saw the crisis at that time as religious, others believe it is embedded and blended with political intentions.

Since 2001 to 2014, it has been very difficult to conduct elections to fill political seats in the local government by, the Plateau State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) without loss of lives.

With the coming Local Government elections being planned by PLASIEC in the state, fears are that, the current unity among the Beroms, Anguta and Afizere nations, after the Rukuba Road and Zangam massacres, may not grant the participation of the Hausas and Fulanis in the election and may end the leadership of the duo on the three (3) nations.

This is so to many pundits especially after the three nations have re-declare themselves as the indigenous people of Jos North.

The questions therefore are:

Whether the Hausa and Fulani people still have rights to contest for the chairmanship in Jos-North with the current developments?

Secondly, now that the Management Committee Chairman of Jos-North Local Government, Hon. Shehu Bala Usman, who was appointed by Governor Simon Bako Lalong from the Platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)  has resigned from office to enable him contest in the planned election, would this be the last of a Hausa Fulani on Jos North number one seat?

Answers to these and others, coming soon! Keep faith!